Repository
by Luminous Beginnings
Summary: A location for me to store various oneshots I've written. Maybe they'll be expanded on in the future, but for now this is their resting place. Rated M just to be safe, though most probably won't reach that level.
1. The Symbols of Loneliness and Jealousy

The Symbols of Loneliness and Jealousy

Summary: At yet another festival, the goddess of dead leaves lets the wind take her away. Before she is fully embraced by the sky, an underground visitor draws her eye.

Chapter Rating: T

Disclaimer: No, Shizuha is not a breed of dog, nor is Parsee something that is used to garnish a plate. Even though parsley is delicious, which does make one wonder. Moving on.

* * *

Shizuha sighed, staring at the collected group in front of her. It was that time again, when the celebrated mike of the Hakurei Shrine had another of her festivals. Not one of the typical festivals, like the cherry blossom viewing earlier in the year. No, instead, it was a one to celebrate the resolution of the most recent of incidents.

The young looking goddess sighed and dusted the hem of her dress. These things were truly a bother to her. She didn't mind being out and about now, in the heat of the summer, but it's not where she wished to be. She'd rather be back near her home beside the river, basking in the shade of an old oak, hiding from her sister's exasperated calls to come help her with the farm

Still, she was here, and she had to make the rounds at the victory celebration. Rather, it was more of a grand meeting of all of those whom Reimu has defeated in the past. All of the important people from the most recent years came. She could remember them quite vividly. The vampire from the new old mansion across the lake, the ghost princess from the netherworld, the living princess from the bamboo forest… And quite a few others.

In all honesty, it was a power play by the miko. She wanted everyone to remember what it was that connected them, originally. She wanted them to remember about how she had defeated them. That even the best of swordsmen, the highest of native gods, and the devils that lurked beneath the earth's crust had to fear the human.

Well, technically the human witch had done a great deal of the work too. But that was of no consequence to the group, as everyone knew that the miko kept her under her thumb. As much as was possible, at least. Still, even though there was still a tad bit of latent tension at the Hakurei, the youkai and goddesses and demons came, accompanied by the rare human in their ranks. It was an opportunity to commiserate with each other, and hopefully to make new alliances and possibly even friendships.

That was why she and her sister had come, after all. The goddesses on the mountain, the Moriya along with the thrice-damned Yasaka, had joined the celebration in an attempt to weasel their way further into the newcomer's lives. She had heard some rumors that the Yasaka was actually the cause of the whole incident, which made her wonder why the Hakurei didn't give her a personal visit, as well. More likely than not, she had simply believed that she had expended enough effort, and had gone back to days of drinking tea.

Yet, she and her sister wanted to come meet these newcomers. While they had been present at the sealing, Shizuha herself was unaware of the youkai that were forced underground. It was not her dominion, as her sister, and occasionally herself, were worshipped mainly by the humans. She blessed them with bountiful crops, strong children, and long life, in return for their continued worship. Shizuha, on the other hand, was tolerated at best.

A goddess of the end is not appreciated by the short-lived humans, as what type of blessing could she give them? Humans have always been scared of meeting their end, as they did not truly understand what waited beyond. So, she kept to herself, only showing when her sister requested it. And then, only if she felt like it. It drove her sister up the wall, but it was worth it in her opinion.

She did take her duties a little too seriously, at times.

But as for now, she had grown tired of this party. She had made the rounds, following everyone else. None in the delegation had seemed interested in talking much, if at all. The spider youkai and her friend were being fought over by Nightbug and Melancholy, who both want her to go off with them. The latter itself is an especially odd case. The oni that the delegation has, of course, is off drinking with the shrine's resident oni.

The Satori was an interesting person, despite the fact that she was rather quiet when she bade her greetings. The pink haired one gave her but a quick look, saying that introductions were hardly necessary, as we both were only performing the functions out of a sense of obligation. Her only other words to the autumn goddess were to treat her sister with more respect, as she should be lucky to have one that is still able to care.

Shaken from her curt tone, Shizuha left the party to think, barely paying attention to the hell raven being fawned over by the Yasaka and some kappa. Glancing back from the edge of the woods, her eyes caught a glimpse of movement. Towards the back of the shrine was another satori and one of the vampires, all being watched over by the witches. A small smile crossed her face as she watched the two youkai floated up into the air and began to summon the all too familiar orbs of light.

"They're having fun over there, aren't they?" Muttering to herself, Shizuha floated into the air, smoothly darting towards the tree line. She knew that danmaku was quite nonlethal, yet still did not want to be shot by it. The sting was not a pleasant sensation, and even goddesses did bruise.

Still, she debated simply leaving. Even though Minoriko wished for her to come and join in, she had made the required rounds. Would anybody truly miss her if she left? "Too bad it isn't autumn. A nice bed of leaves would be pleasant now."

As she twirled towards the forest, though, Shizuha stopped herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small figure also sitting at the edge of the clearing, staring towards the shrine. From this angle, she could only see the back of her head, blonde hair barely covering the nape of her neck. But the slouching form, along with a barely concealed bottle by her side, spoke volumes. Glancing back at the forest, she sighed again, a tight smile coming over her face. Gently touching down a few feet away, she clasped her hands and said, "Hello there, I don't believe we've met. Who might you be?"

The small form jumped, whipping around her head. Glowing green eyes met soft brown ones for a second, narrowing in suspicion. "And who are you? Somebody that Satori sent to take pity? Or did Yuugi decide that I needed to stop moping and join in the party?" With a snort, she spat out, "Either way, the answer is _no_."

Shizuha shook her head, gazing back across to the shrine. "Hardly. I was just leaving now, actually. But I figured that you might like some company, since you were sitting here by your lonesome."

The blonde haired girl searched the goddess, before eventually shrugging. "Eh, not like I particularly care. Never was much of a fan of big get-togethers like this. Everyone always trying to one up each other, trying to see whose balls are bigger." For the first time, a grin cracked her face. "Like any of us have any. That witch though… Do wonder sometimes."

Laughing softly, Shizuha took the tacit invitation and sat down on the ground, curling her legs up beside herself. "I think we all do. Although, that is one subject whose answer I do not particularly care to find out, either."

"Agreed." The blonde girl turned back to the crowd. "So, who are you supposed to be anyways? You don't look like one of the bigwigs around here. Ain't no way they'd have let you gotten away from all that."

With a small shrug, she answered, "Perhaps. It is one of the good thing about not being one of the big names." Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "However, I believe I asked for your name first. Isn't it polite for you to answer first, then?"

The girl leaned back on her hands, laughing softly as she stared at the sky. "You're the one who intruded on me, darling. And manners? Frankly, I don't give a damn." She turned back to Shizuha, smirking. "Besides, isn't it the polite thing to grin and bare it at a party you're supposed to be attending."

A grin crept across her face. "I suppose it is. Well, my name is Shizuha Aki. The goddess of dead leaves." Grabbing her skirt, she lifted it slightly before dropping it. "I would get up and curtsey, but if we're abandoning all pretenses of decorum…"

"Heh, for an upworlder, you ain't so bad." She snickered to herself. "But a goddess of dead leaves…. can't be worse than my job." Suddenly, she stuck her hand out. "Parsee Mizuhashi. Guardian of the Bridge No One Crosses."

Taking her hand, Shizuha shook it firmly. She was surprised at how rough it was, "It doesn't sound too bad, save the part about nobody ever using it. Why is that the case, though?"

Parsee absently watched her for a second, eyes on the smaller girl's hands. Under her breath, she muttered, "So soft… I think I'm jea-" Her hand came up and slapped her cheek. "Stop that, now ain't the time." Avoiding Shizuha's eyes, she answered, "Erm, no one ever comes across because no one has been to the surface with any sort of regularity in decades. At most, I have the occasional visitor who gets sick with alcohol poisoning, going to see Yamame." Suddenly, she barks out laughter. "Imagine that, _oni_ getting alcohol poisoning, from drinking _too_ much. Tells you what they do all the time, eh?"

Shizuha frowned slightly at her initial remarks, but cast any thoughts aside. "Yamame? Isn't that the spider youkai? Why would they go to her for something like that?

Parsee simply grimaced. "She can manipulate diseases. Nasty little thing, if she wanted to hurt people. But she's ain't like that, so she helps them instead." Muttering to herself again, she clenched her hands and stared at the ground. "I wish that I was able to do something _useful_ like that."

Shifting about onto her side, Shizuha looked at the girl. "What do you mean by that? What is it that you do?"

Looking away, she said, "Nothing good." Plastering a fake smile on her face, Parsee turned back towards the goddess. "So, how exactly do you know Yamame? You chatting her up back at the party."

Shizuha shot her a look. "That's unnecessary, you know. The only reason I know the name is because I overheard it. Two other youkai were fighting for her attention earlier."

"So, even Yamame has someone jealous over her?" Parsee let out a strangled sounding laugh. "Ain't that something. But sorry, darling, didn't mean to get in your face. I just can't control myself at times." With a short glance back, she asked, "So, who found the little spider interesting?"

Still giving her an odd look, Shizuha eventually turned back and looked over to the shrine once again. "A bug youkai, by the name of Wriggle Nightbug. I think she wanted her attention because she was a kindred youkai of some sort." After shrugging, she continued. "The other was a doll youkai. Medicine Melancholy." Shizuha frowned. "It's odd, because there are very few living things she tolerates. I've known that a fair few humans, and even youkai, are killed by her

"What would a doll want with her though?"

The goddess waved her hand. "You said she has control over diseases?" After a short nod, she continued. "She has control over poison. Maybe since her power is similar, the doll thought that she could help her?"

Parsee hummed to herself. "I suppose that could be the case. Don't see Yamame helping her though. Almost too nice for her own good. As much as a spider youkai can be, though." A small chuckle issued from her throat. "It's a wonder they let a creature that nasty out in this above world, though. They shoved the rest of us underground for a reason."

Shizuha nodded absentmindedly. "I think I remember that time… It was centuries ago though. It wasn't my job, so I didn't pay too much attention to it."

A raised eyebrow met her statement. "So you're one of the old Gensokyo gods? Not one of the foreigners?" She laughed once more. "Well, I'm not exactly a native either, so I ain't got much ground to stand on."

A small smirk covered the goddess's face. "I'm surprised that something like that would stop you."

"Ain't that the thing, darling."

After a long moment of silence, Shizuha decided to answer her earlier question. "But yes, Sister and I have been around for a long time. I'm not quite sure if it's been an entire millennium yet, but the years do seem to become meaningless after a while. Even if you are a goddess of a particular season."

Parsee snorted softly to herself. "Heh, you make something like that sound almost mundane." Raising an eyebrow, she looked closely at Shizuha. "You've a sister, though?"

"Yes, I do." Shizuha's eyes turned back towards the shrine, an odd little smile crossing her face. "Sweet little Minoriko. She tries so hard to be a proper goddess… Even in these times."

The green eyed girl nodded absentmindedly. "Heh, I gotcha. But wait a second…" Her eyes unfocused, trying to remember something in the corner of her mind. "Minoriko… Aki? The harvest goddess?"

Looking down, Shizuha's ears reddened slightly. "Yes, that she is. I was unaware that she was that well known underground… Usually only the humans pay attention to us."

Eying her, Parsee brought her hand up to scratch the back of her neck. "Not particularly. I… used to be human, before we were sealed underground. The harvest festivals were one of the things I remember pretty clearly from before I became a youkai. I wasn't aware that you were her sister."

"Not many are." Shizuha looked away from the other blonde. "I've always helped her behind the scenes… At least, when I did at all." She sighed, and stood up, walking towards the tree line. "She's always been so lucky, being a goddess of the harvest. She is able to bless the fields to give plentiful bounty. She could do the same with the rivers, whose fish would seemingly leap into the hands of the fishermen who sought them. And she once was able to perform even greater miracles, blessing special children to grow up to be tall and strong. And even abstract concepts were not out of her control."

Floating up into the air, she reached for a leaf hanging on one of the low branches. Plucking it off, she flew back towards the grassy spot where she had previously sat. "However, in my case, I can only bring about the end of something. Where she can begin…" She held up the leaf in her hand, before letting it go to float in midair. The green in the leaf melted away, giving away to a splotchy mixture of red and yellow. "I end."

Parsee looked up at the goddess, before plucking the leaf out of the air. "You don't sound particularly like someone who would care too much." Her eyes stared at the leaf for a second, with that same strange expression coming over her face. "Still, it's been so long since I've seen this. Never know how much you miss it…"

Her eyes suddenly turned to Shizuha. "You're more than a goddess of dead leaves, aren't you?"

The goddess nodded in response. "In the same way that Minoriko is more than a goddess of the harvest. They are merely labels that have been applied to us. In my case, I encouraged it." She sighed. "I don't want to be feared, simply because of what I am. Better for the people to think me simply useless, instead of something to fear."

"I suppose I can sympathize." Suddenly, Parsee snorted. "Naw, I sure as hell can. That's what a good number of us wanted. Those of us who cared about such things." She sat quietly for a few moments, the strange smile covering her face. "You're jealous of her, ain't you?"

Shizuha nodded. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."

"Don't be." Shizuha's head snapped around, seeing a pained expression on her face. "Trust me on this, darling. It _ain't_ exactly good for you if you allow it to define yourself." Parsee's own eyes fell to the ground. "Trust me on that one."

Shaken somewhat by her words, Shizuha knelt down and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "I take it there's more to the story than you've told me?"

The girl chuckled darkly. "There's always more to the story. Just, do you need to know it?" She shook her head. "I reckon you might as well though. But think for a second. What kind of youkai do you think I am?"

Shizuha shrugged to herself, before sitting down next to her. "Not quite sure, actually. You mentioned that you were a human at once, and the only other one I know that is similar is that one magician girl, at least for the non-feral youkai. But I don't believe you're one of them. If you were, the witch that we all know and love would have already recruited you for her… posse."

"Perish the thought." The grin that had appeared on her face slowly faded away. "But you are right. But maybe that's a good thing, and maybe the rest have forgotten…" She sighed, odd expression creeping back onto her face. "Like a bridge princess has the luxury to forget."

Staring at her companion, Shizuha knitted her forehead. "You're… jealous, that they're able to forget what you are? And you've almost said you're jealous a few times… And bridge…" Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Hashihime?"

"Right on the mark, darling." Parsee looked back at her, green eyes glowing. "Damnable thing that I did… Not like _he_ didn't deserve it…" She looked away again, shoulders drooping. "But it's something I regret to this day. When I can."

Startled by the sudden move, she flinched away, but didn't make a move away. "I suppose I shouldn't ask about him, but what do you mean when you can?"

She shrugged at Shizuha. "Exactly what you think. You might've figured out what I can do, but the power of jealousy…. Is a terrible thing. Especially since, at times, the jealousy has power over me, not the other way around." She blinked, and finally looked away. "'Swy I was sitting over here. Sure, I'll still be jealous, but it ain't like there's a big crowd of people over here, going on about all their small problems, not considering how lucky they are. With the grass and trees and fresh air and blue skies…"

As Parsee seemed to get lost in her diatribe, Shizuha leaned over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Parsee, you can stop. You shouldn't be like this…" She gulped, before saying softly, "You're up here now, aren't you? There's nothing to be jealous of."

For a second, Parsee stiffened, before releasing a sigh. "That's a lie. You know it, darling. And I know it." Slowly, her head turned around towards the goddess', a soft smile on her face. "But it's a lie I think I needed. More than what the oni and satori can give me, down in the darkness."

"I'm glad I can give it then." With that, she finally removed her hand, before fixing her skirt. Sitting there, the two stared at the dying sky, as twilight gave way to the inky blackness of night. As a crescent moon bathed the ground in soft, pale light, Shizuha finally broke the silence. "It's nice to have company for something like this, isn't it?"

Parsee nodded slightly in the darkness. "That it is. I've forgotten what it's like. Forgotten too much."

Shizuha smiled slightly, unseen by her companion. "Well, maybe I can help you remember a bit more of the good things then, friend."

Green eyes glowed slightly as they flickered over. "Maybe you can." After a few more minutes, however, Parsee sighed. "Damnation, looks like they're finally breaking up. Didn't even bother to pull an all-nighter?" She shook her head, standing up. "Ain't that a shame. Would stay longer, but since only way I can is if that hag lets me…"

Nodding in understanding, Shizuha also raised to her feet, brushing off blades of grass that had stuck to her skirt. "That it is. I suppose it would be foolish of me to ask if I'll see you up here again?"

"Doubtful. Unless you bother to drag that damn bridge up here with you." She sighed to herself. "It ain't like I'd be adverse to some company, though. So if you are around and have the time."

Shizuha nodded to her. "Of course, I can come down and-" She was cut off by a finger on her lips.

"Don't say it. That way, I won't be able to get jealous over it." She lowered her hand and turned away. "Well, I'ma heading off. You be taking care Miss Aki; maybe I'll be getting time off for good behavior."

"Please, it's Shizuha. You should know I'm not a very good goddess." With a small grin, she bowed her head. "Until next time, Parsee."

With that, the goddess watched as the green eyes receded into the black, before turning around to the forest. "Minoriko will be home soon, anyways, and she'll be bothering me about what I've been doing. Perhaps I'll share my story with her upon the morrow. But for now…" As she flitted between the trees, she slowly faded into the dark, indistinguishable from even the greenest of leaves. There was nothing that remained to mark her passing, as only her voice carried as if spoken by the wind itself. "I need some time alone, to think."

A/N Howdy all again. Been away for a little while, and I haven't written too much. Got a couple of half-written oneshots clogging up my desktop, so I figured I'd start finishing and posting them. This is one of the ideas I've had sitting around, as it's more of a slice of life kind of deal, with no big grand plots/ancient (or Moriya Shrine) conspiracies going on in the background.

If you're wondering, this is the same Shizuha from my Soliloquies, but it's not the same Parsee. That Parsee is too vengeful for a normal (relatively) person to help, as she needs special care. This one, if I didn't explain enough, is a simple remorseful woman who took a power so that she may have vengeance for a slight against her, and regrets what it has done to her. As much fun as neurotic Parsee can be, I'd rather try one that's not even quite at tsundere levels. Anywho, enough rambling.

As for why Shizuha speaks so properly and Parsee has a southern accent? I have no earthly idea. I made the one _Gone With the Wind_ reference, and it kinda snowballed from there. Not to say I don't like the idea of southern Parsee… Hrm. Now I have to have a scene where someone from the SDM runs up to Remilia, shouting Miss Scarlet, Miss Scarlet! I know nothing about birthin' no babies! Maybe succubus Koa, as it'd be ironic. Or Sakuya losing her cool. I should stop thinking these up, so I don't end up writing more.

And on that note, first normal disclaimer in months! Yeah, if I give everything a CNN release, I'll run out of ideas. Just the way it is.


	2. Duality of Book Reading Youkai

Duality of Book-Reading Youkai

One bright summer's day, a woman and a winged girl were walking along the road back to their mansion home. But danger lurked on the way, and was ready to pounce at any moment.

Chapter Rating: T

_This is the _**Cirno News Network **_with a breaking news story. Recently, the tengu have been issuing tests to any and all youkai who wish to become honorary tengu. The gruel activities one has to pass to even be considered for the honor include hundred mile dashes, lifting weights that would make even an oni cringe, and a distinct knowledge of all the reasons every other species of youkai suck. A trickle of youkai attempted to apply at first, but were all turned down even before the first test was completed. As everyone washed out, the tengu have described this as an obvious reason why they are superior to every other species of youkai out there. It is noted that no tengu actually participated in the events in any manner, shape or form._

_Thank you, and enjoy the show. This has been _**THE STRONGEST! **_Now back to your irregularly scheduled fic._

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Dirt crumbles under the feet of a small winged girl as she trudges along, a large load of books weighing her down. She teeters for a second as she stumbles over a rock in the dirt road, wings fluttering helpless to keep her upright. Seconds pass by before she finally balances herself again. Sighing grandiosely, she picks up the pace, trotting up behind the woman leading her.

Said woman merely inclines her head towards the winged girl as she pulls up next to her. "We're in no rush, Koa. You don't need to overexert yourself. And I am perfectly capable of carrying my own books, I'll have you know."

The girl just huffed, before giving the woman a cheeky smile from behind the pile of books. "But you wanted to enjoy the walk to the human village and back, Miss Patchouli. And if you were carrying a book, you would have your nose stuck inside it the entire time. We'd hate for that to happen, wouldn't we?"

Grumbling, the woman just shook her head, before floating above the ground. "I suppose we would. Oh well, you're stuck with the transport of those books back to the library."

Nodding her head, the winged girl nodded. "Of course, Miss Patchouli. If it pleases you as such." With another soft sigh, she hefted up the books, letting them slide back against her chest. "At least it is not that far until we reach the mansion proper. Hopefully the black-white will not have made a run on the library while we were gone."

The woman shook her head. "That would be a fool's hope, Koa. Miss Kirisame is much too inclined to put her sticky fingers into whatever she passes; indeed, the best hope is to instead distract her with another item she feels is more valuable."

Giving a dejected sigh, the winged girl replied, "Sure, but what could we use to bait such a trap? And how could we guarantee that the black-white would go after it, instead of the books?"

"Simple." The woman gave her companion the subtlest of glances. "One would need only place-" The rest of her sentence was cut off as a blur flew by them, knocking past the winged girl and upsetting her tower of books. She quickly began to teeter, drunkenly trying to keep upright as she balanced the books.

It still was of no use, as she swayed back and forth once more and fell over, the titles scattered over the dirt road. The woman's head snapped back to her companion, analyzing the sight before lifting further in the air and spotting the retreating blur. "Koakuma, stay here. I will deal with this… thief. Now, remind me, what day is it?"

Pushing herself up from the ground, she shook her head. "It's… it's Saturday, Miss Patchouli."

Muttering to herself, the woman raised her hand. "I thought as much. Hardly the correct element for intercepting a flying thief, but it will do." She breathed out slowly, before snapping her eyes open. "Earth & Metal Sign: _Emerald Megalith!_"

Far in the distance, an explosion of dirt halted the blur in its tracks. Before it could react, a green blur shot out and grasped the blur. A faint squawk of pain echoed across the landscape as the dust settled, revealing a small mountain of emerald encasing the would-be thief.

Turning up the corner of her mouth, the woman swept an invisible speck of dust from the hem of her dress before turning to her companion once more. "That worked quite superbly, do you not think? Let us go and see this perpetrator. I'd like to have some words with her."

Frantically, the girl sprung into action, gathering the books that were lying in the dirt. "Yes, of course Miss Patchouli." Once more laden down with her heavy burden, she frantically flapped her wings, trying to catch up to her companion. "Are you sure you're up for it, Miss Patchouli? Usually such a display would have you in rather poor shape. Especially since that was real magic, instead of danmaku..."

The woman absently nodded as she continued to float forward. "Indeed, it was. She did not declare a spell card, after all. And I felt no need to, considering her theft of my possessions." Her eyes cut across to her companion. "You should be aware by now though that using a day's element drains one considerably less than otherwise. Am I needing to give you a remedial lesson?" At the winged girl's quick shake of her head, the woman took back, a small smirk on her face. "Good. And do not concern yourself too much. Our walk was interrupted, after all. And I intend to ensure that our recent acquaintance is aware of the consequences."

At that, the winged girl only gave one more concerned glance before falling in lockstep behind the woman. The silence between them did not last long, as they had caught up to the emerald monument before them, where the figure was struggling to escape from its grasp.

Idly reaching down to take the stolen book, the woman floated up to where the figure was located. Taking in the sight before her, she hummed to herself. "Interesting. I don't believe that I recognize you." Slowly, she floated about, taking in her captive's appearance. "Definitely a youkai of some type, but not one of the tengu. Slippery beasts would have been able to squeeze out of this trap long ago. You've been unable to even crack my creation, so you must be quite young in comparison to most of the other residents of this land."

Darting forward, she grabbed the captive's face. "And the wrong teeth. Human eating youkai would have more pronounced fangs, as they adapt to their food. Yours are closer to the human norm, suggesting you stay on a fairly standard diet. Indeed, I'd imagine that you do very little hunting at all." Before the captive could react, the woman's hand moved quickly once again, placing itself on the singular wing attached to the other's head. "And very interesting plumage, indeed. I do wonder as to the reason for its creation like this…"

Shaking her head, she grasped the face of the bound person. "But enough conjecture. You weren't after me, girl. You were after my books. So tell me, who are you to steal from Patchouli Knowledge, keeper and master of Voile?"

The one-winged girl's eyes darted all about, seeking escape in some manner or form. Finding none, she sighed and turned back. "I… I'm nobody. I just wanted a book."

"Hrmph." The woman leaned forward, raising the girl's chin with the tip of her finger. "Indeed. But there are many people who wish to read my books. And more than a fair few who have attempted to steal them. Why add yourself to such a list, indeed?"

Her face burning red, her eyes darted away from the woman's. "I… I just wanted a book to read. I've none left of my own, and the humans don't trust me all too much."

At that, the woman snorted. "The humans don't trust anyone who has a lick of the supernatural about them. But they tend to respect those with power, which would indicate you have little of that." She paused, pondering for a second. "_Why_ do you wish to read my books? Or any book, for that matter?"

"I just like to read, that's all." Her eyes turned back up, somewhat misty. "I don't care what it is, I just enjoy reading." She moved as if to say more, but paused and shut her mouth, turning away.

"That's what they all say." Still, curiosity began to cover the woman's steely visage. "In that case, you wouldn't care if the book promised you magic, or promised to show you the proper way to shovel dirt?" Receiving a shake from the head of the girl, she mused, "I can't say that I believe you. Still, at least you're consistent. Koa! Come here!"

The abrupt shout was unnecessary, as the companion of the woman was right next to her. "Yes, Miss Patchouli?"

"What is the volume I picked up about? What is its subject?"

The girl blinked. "Miss Patchouli, couldn't you just-"

"Koakuma. The subject of the book." The command carried an edge to it, as if it were hammered from steel instead of flowing from the woman's lips.

And, accordingly, the girl reacted as if it were steel. "Yes, of course. Of course." Taking the book from the woman, she flipped through a few pages. "It appears to be a book that weighs the value of chicken soup, and to what degree it promotes healing in the consumer's soul."

Blinking, the woman turned her head. "Really? That is quite… Interesting. I suppose I'll have to take a personal interest in the purchased books from now on." After receiving a chagrined chuckle from her companion, she turned back to her captive. "If I give you back this book, do you promise not to run away once more? If you do, I will not be nearly as gentle."

Nodding quickly, the young girl quickly said, "Yes, yes, whatever you like. I promise. Cross my heart, and hope to die."

"Heh." Laughing softly, she snapped her fingers, causing the small mountain of rock to crumble to pieces. "Be careful what you wish for. I know a few people who'd be willing to stick a needle in your eye just for what you've done already." Still, she held out the book to the girl, gauging her reaction.

As the dust cleared from the destruction of the monument, the girl flapped her wings, preening slightly to straighten out the feathers that had been crushed only moments before. When she was finished, however, she cautiously reached forward. When she got close enough that the woman couldn't take the book away, she snatched it, and made a movement to run.

Meeting her former jailor's steely glance, she calmed down. Instead of continuing her initial instinct, she cracked open the book, and began to read. It didn't take long for the girl to apparently block out the world outside of her personal bubble.

Sneaking up beside her companion, the winged girl asked, "She really does seem to just want to read?

Nodding, the woman replied. "Indeed, she does. Perhaps it isn't a search for the sake of knowledge, but reading for the simple enjoyment of it." As the girl began to hum to herself, a small smile coming over her face, the woman chuckled softly. "Indeed, I believe that is the case. But there's something I said that makes me wonder."

Taking a step forward, she attempted to lower the book and make eye contact with the young girl. However, the girl stayed glued to her book, bending each and every way in order to keep reading. Ignoring the sniggering that had erupted behind her, the woman eventually snapped out, "Young girl! I have something else to ask you!"

"Wha?" The girl's head snapped up, with one wing on her head fluttering to and fro. When she realized it was the same person as had accosted her earlier, she flushed. "Oh, sorry, sorry. I was just reading, and I was enjoying it too much. Sorry."

"She sounds just like Miss Patchouli…"

Pointedly ignoring her companion, the woman replied in a softer tone. "That is alright, young one. I merely wished to ask you about something you had mentioned earlier." At the tilt of the girl's head, she continued. "You had mentioned that you had no books of your own left. Did you simply finish them, or were they taken from you?"

Her suspicions were confirmed when the girl's face fell. Even the one wing on her head fell flat against the side of her face, as if trying to hide. "They were… taken. Black-white, with burning magic. Red-white, with maddening seals. Blue-white, with her rending knives…" She shivered. "They talk all of my books. Humans that are stronger than youkai. Just because they can. Just because they are capable of."

A frown began to grow upon the woman's face. "That is definitely interesting. Kirisame steals from everyone, so at least that is in character. And the Hakurei never has liked youkai much… not to say that she likes humans much either. But Sakuya?" She traded a glance with her companion once more, knitting her brow. "That shouldn't be the case… She knows how much I value my books. Why would she deprive another…?"

Suddenly, she shook her head. "Bah. Conjecture will solve us nothing. I will simply have to go to the root of the problem." Eyes drifting over to the young girl, she sighed. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep you on hand. Just in case."

She tilted her head at the woman. "You mean I should come with you?"

"Indeed." Suddenly turning to her companion, the woman barked, "Koa. Give approximately half of those books to our new friend. I'd hate to interrupt our walk, but we must be flying."

Wordlessly, the girl with four wings handed a goodly portion of the stack to the girl with three. Seemingly giddy with excitement, the young girl hugged the books to her chest while cooing softly. Turning back to the woman, the companion asked, "Miss Patchouli, are you sure we can trust her? One book wasn't too big of a deal, but this many…"

Cutting her eyes at the other girl, the woman lowered her voice. "I can easily waylay her once again, if necessary. But I wish to observe. If her story is honest and true, her actions will mirror it." Raising her voice without waiting for a reply, she said. "Come on then Koa, as well as you young one. I may have need of your presence later on. And if not, I suppose you'll simply have to endure some of my hospitality."

The young girl nodded eagerly, flapping her wings once in a powerful burst, propelling her into the air. With a smile on her face, she waited for the other to float into the air. "Yes ma'am, of course. Thank you very much."

"Pay it no mind. I just hope that you have been telling the truth." The woman watched the young girls face for a moment, before adding, "But I don't suppose I can have the privilege of knowing your name?"

"Sorry, of course miss." She nodded once. "I'm Tokiko. Just Tokiko."

The woman hummed to herself. "No family name? Of course not. Only the humans who have spent much time at all with humans would have done as such." She shook her own head. "But enough. Let's be off. We have a sizable amount of ground to cover. And I wish to solve this matter, post haste."

* * *

"Wow. This is… Wow. Just so many books… How can there be so many books?"

The woman smiled at the young girl's remarks. "Because there are many people who write books, young one. You must be very young, indeed. You are aware of how many humans there in the outside world?"

The girl knitted her forehead, thinking to herself. "I know there are a lot. Millions, maybe? If the entire world is covered with villages like the human one here…"

Shaking her head, the woman guided the young girl over to a table. "No, you are off by far. There are billions in the world." At the girl's confused glance, she shook her head. "It is a value that you may be too young to comprehend. I'm amazed as it is that you have such skill in reading, to have comprehended that book so well."

Flushing, the young girl turned away, head wing flapping to and fro. "Thanks, but I didn't really understand the book too well. I knew what all the words mean, but they just didn't…"

"Connect?" At the young girl's nod, the woman sighed. "Understanding comes with experiencing, child. You must live to gain wisdom, and study to gain knowledge. You have done little of either, so it comes to show that you are unable to comprehend it when reading attempts to give one wisdom. I cannot fault you for attempting to, however."

She turned her head, waving her arms to the cases about her. "But you wished to know how there are so many books in my library? It is because of how many people that live in this world. And how many that devote their lives to the written word. Whether they be scribes to record history, or great thinkers who record how the universe works, or simply artists with pen and ink, weaving their stories with words, they all place their works onto paper. And that paper, eventually, is bound into books."

She turned back to the young girl, letting her arms fall by her side. "The biggest reason, however, is how short-lived the humans are. I myself have lived over a century, and not aged a day in normal terms. Yet, entire generations of humans have been born, and just as many have died. They have to put their thoughts, their knowledge, and their wisdom to pass it down. Otherwise, it is lost. Forgotten. Vanished into thin air."

Looking down at the floor, an uneasy look came across the girl's face. "Then, why do they not know of magic? About us? Isn't that why we live in Gensokyo? Because the humans don't believe that we exist anymore?"

A frown crossed the woman's face as she floated up slightly in the air. "Indeed, that is the reason we live here now. But the humans _wanted_ to forget about us. They spent so long in fear of demons and monsters, that once they grew strong enough, they wished to dismiss us."

"So we're the cast-offs of the world? Is that why the humans hate us?" She paused, her eyes misting over as her wing tried to cover her face. "Why they've… done this to me? Why they hate me?"

Sighing softly to herself, the woman floated over and laid her hand on the young girl's shoulder. "The humans that live here are the some of the few left who fear something beyond their comprehension. And even though they've been protected for decades by those humans with power, and even the other youkai, they still remember. They have _not_ cast aside us as old legends. And thus, they fear."

A weary look came over the woman's face. "And that is why the _protectors_ of the humans are allowed to get away with so much. Their job is to keep the peace, and ensure that no youkai remains too strong." Her eyes looked down, shadowed by the brim of her cap. "But that is why they're allowed such leniency. Why bother scolding the miko or the witch if they steal a bit from the youkai, or bum off food from everyone they meet. What incentive would they have to protect this land? Fools that deal with twisted logic, is what they are…"

The young girl looked up. "Have you had to deal with them before? And what about the blue-white?"

Removing her hand, the woman guided the girl over to a nearby nook, where waited a small reading table and a few chairs. Waiting for her to take a seat, she answered, "More than a few times. The miko is a good friend of the mistress of this mansion, for lack of a better word. And the witch enjoys the company of the maid here, along with the younger mistress. She _likes_ to think that she enjoys my company, but since every time I see her she's off carrying more books from _my_ library…"

The young girl's eyes widened. "Is that why you're helping me?"

A small smile slipped over the woman's face. "Perhaps. But as for your other question… That is why we are waiting here. I had expected Koa to be back by now with her, but I suppose she has been waylaid." She abruptly spun around, facing down the hallway. "Which leaves it to me to summon her. Sakuya!"

As the echo of her call echoed over the halls, a sudden wind blew by them. The pair blinked, and suddenly the table was dusted off. The pair waited a few moments, before the woman sighed once more. "I know you're around here Sakuya. You can come out now."

The room flashed once more, and where there was once nobody at the entrance of the nook stood a maid. Her voice lilting, she twirled a feather duster and asked, "You rang?"

Her words remained in the air for a second, before a muffled shriek issued from the young girl. The chair clattered to the side as she tried to make her way behind the woman, wings frantically beating the air in an attempt to assist her movement. "The blue-white…"

Ignoring the movement behind her, the woman faced down the maid. "Yes I did, Sakuya. I had a few questions for you, and hoped that you could spare the _time_ to answer."

A sniff of disdain issued from the maid. "Please, Miss Knowledge. You should be aware of that answer. But must we conduct this in the presence of this beast? For I'm sorely tempted to pluck her feathers for a new duster. My old one is getting rather… limp."

A scowl passed over the woman's face. "Yes, we must. For she is the reason I am even conducting this impromptu interview." Sparing a glance back to see that the girl had not begun to panic too badly, the woman turned back. "I've heard some rather unseemly rumors from her about your treatment of books, Sakuya. And considering the abject terror that has filled my companion's demeanor, I'd wager that they are at least partially true. So tell me, why would you go as far as to steal books from lowly youkai, Miss Izayoi?"

The maid crossed her arms, while staring down the woman. "It is because of a deal I made with Kirisame. You wished to save your _vaunted_ collection from her clutches, so I compromised with her. If I was to provide her with books, she would tamper down her raids on the mansion, and would avoid excess collateral damage."

A tired look suddenly falling over her face, the woman reached up to pinch her nose. "So that's how it is. It always comes back to that girl." With yet another heavy sigh, she glared back up at Sakuya. "And you thought that I'd be in agreement with such a compromise?"

Shrugging, the maid leaned back against the wall. "It mattered not to me. It left me with less work to do, and I get to have fun reminding the little youkai of their place. It was a win-win for me." She shot a grin over the woman's shoulder, meeting the eyes of the young girl. "Fresh meat is always hard to come by, and dumb foes like that ice fairy tend to lose their fun after a while."

Gritting her teeth, the woman waved her off. "Go, Sakuya. I know all that I want to know from you." As she spun around, she heard the subtle sound of air displacing as the maid vanished again. The sight of the cowering girl met her, with a knife placed in the wood floor right in front of her.

Snorting in disgust at the maid's actions, she leaned down and grabbed the handle of the knife. Staring at it for a moment, she softly whispered, "To the earth from which you came, once again go and dwell within." The knife slowly began to disintegrate, bits of metal flinging off into the wind and down the corridor.

As it vanished from her hand, she leaned down once more and placed her hands on the young girl's shoulders. "Tokiko, look at me." After a few moments with no response, the woman asked a little bit more firmly, "Tokiko, _look at me_." In a few moments, the girl looked up at the woman, eyes peeking out from behind the wing on her head. "Do not trouble yourself any longer. Sakuya may enjoy talking tough, but she is aware that you are my guest. And if any harm comes to you… I'll deal with her myself."

The young girl sniffed quietly once more, before nodding slightly. "Ok… I'll trust you. It's just that…" She hugged herself with bother her arms and wings as tightly as possible. "They hurt. A lot. And she making it hurt so much."

Mentally calculating a few _word _she might be having with the maid at some point, the woman pulled the young girl to her briefly, wrapped in a loose, somewhat feathery hug. They remained that way for a few minutes, with the woman hoping that it would speak for her in a way that words would not be able to.

After the sniffles of the girl had ceased, the woman leaned back, attempting to reply to the girl's earlier fears in an attempt to calm her further. However, she was met with closed eyes. Smiling softly, she carefully leaned the girl back against a stack of books. Standing slowly, she turned in order to find her other companion, in order to have help in moving the young girl to a bed.

Only to find the winged girl standing right there.

"So, just a trust exercise, Miss Patchouli?" An odd smirk covered the girl's face. "Getting mighty close for a trust exercise there. Or are you planning for something else?"

Giving her a sharp look, the woman said, "Amusing, Koa. The girl needed it. She was breaking down at the sight of Sakuya. What that maid has done to her…" She shook her head. "It's times like these that I wonder if I'm getting too accustomed to this library, and ignorant of the world around us."

A small hand was placed on top of the woman's. "Don't fret too badly, Miss Patchouli. We've had little to tie us to the world outside of these halls. Perhaps it would do you some good to make a friend who isn't a servant of yours. If friendship is all you seek."

Glaring halfway before giving it up as a bad job, the woman turned away. "Trying to be funny, little devil? I'd swear, if I wasn't aware that I didn't summon a succubus, I'd wonder what exactly you are."

She grinned widely; showing off more teeth than would be natural for a human. "Too bad I'm not then, as it'd drive you up a wall. But I'm glad I'm not one of those fools. Controlled by their impulses, the lot of them."

"So am I, Koa. So am I." She turned back towards the sleeping girl. "But enough bickering. We need to get our young friend to a bed. She'll be feeling rather poorly if we leave her here. After that, we need to make a plan."

Floating over to the young girl, the winged girl paused and looked back. "Plan for what, Miss Patchouli?"

A grimace came over her face. "Plan to carry a few stakes and some tar along with us. Just in case we need to burn our prey." The grimace grew into a small smirk, as the woman finished. "We're going to go on a witch hunt, Koa. And I'm feeling positively medieval."

* * *

A/N Howdy all again, this here is another oneshot I've had in mind. I had it planned out for a little while, as it sat at one sentence long for a few weeks. But it was fun writing it, as the pairing of Patchouli and Tokiko just seems so natural. And no, I've not decided if this will be an actual pairing, a friendship, or even a mother/daughter type of relationship, as all three could work.

To be honest, though, I never saw Sakuya as being much of a villain at first. But I've never cared for Sakuya much, to be honest. Also considering that she's the least favorite of the Scarlet Crew, even after Cirno and Rumia if you count them. Plus, there's the whole 'he who hunts monsters' aspect. Not that she was a vampire hunter, but assuming she's a human, she's been around monsters almost all of her life. It isn't that unlikely that she could succumb to the darker tendencies of the mansion. Although, by now I'm just attempting to justify her without having decided on her backstory yet, so I'll stop here.

Oh, and one thing I wouldd like to say. I do _not_ like the whole 'Koakuma is a succubus' deal. Except for a few stories I've read, which actually play up the whole demon aspect (but don't go as far as rape and pillage, just going to show how _not human_ she is), the whole succubus thing just comes across as something to allow her to flirt with the other characters. So, in this story, the little devil is just that.

Anywho, enough of a diatribe. I'll just ask that, as always, please read and review, as I'd like to hear feedback on what you think about these stories. Oh, and if you looked at the last story and the page breaks weren't there, I've gone back and fixed them. The formatting didn't carry over when I uploaded, and I was dumb enough not to check. Hopefully, I've got them working this time around. If not, just tell me.


	3. A Doll They Call the City of Orleans P1

A Doll They Call the City of Orleans (Part 1)

One book was stolen from a magical library, which was to be used by one wayward witch. However, the potion prepared from the instructions may have results an ordinary magician might not expect.

Chapter Rating: T

_This is the _**Cirno News Network **_with a breaking news story. This story is not actually breaking at the moment, as it is currently developing. The author of this alert has summarily been fired. We will be hiring a new one soon, who will type up much more important stories, such as reports about the majestic moose._

_Thank you, and enjoy the show. This has been _**THE STRONGEST! **_Now back to your irregularly scheduled fic._

* * *

Smoke drifted up from the chimney of a lonely cabin, wafting about in a soft wind. Beneath the tree line, from where the purple fumes drifted, a series of lanterns burned in the foggy windows of a dark house. Weighed down with age, the panes of glass distorted any view of the sights within. Still, a dark shadow flitted about the interior of the house, framed by flickering flames.

Inside a young teen girl was quickly moving around, gathering supplies from various shelves that lined the dark halls. Tossing them down on a roughly worn wooden table, she turned back to a large, open book as the table teetered back and forth, one leg not quite reaching the ground. Ignoring the movement behind, the girl muttered to herself as she flipped through the pages.

"…Wing of bat and tongue of dog? Interesting, but I don't feel like summoning an evil spirit would be for the best right now. Mima might become unhappy if I do such a thing, and she isn't the one that comes." With a few flips of the page, she pressed her finger to the parchment, following the loopy scroll. "Can barely read, but what is this it says. Can give… knowledge as to the way one thinks? A spell to help give one power?" A smirk flashed over her face. "More power is always good, but it's not exactly what I need. I need more experience."

She brought her finger up to her thin lips, tapping it as she pondered. "Still, knowledge is always important to have. And this would mean I wouldn't even have to steal it… No more than I already have." She chuckled darkly as she leant back down. "Patchy might not be too happy in the near future if I am understanding this correctly. She'd hate to lose all of her secrets. If I could learn that Royal Flare…"

Spinning about, she began to dig through her supplies. "Ingredients aren't that rare, either. The whiskers of a tengu, and the tears of a satori… A few blossoms of lily of the valley and ice that never melts…" Grabbing a few bottles, she danced over to the book. "Plus a few other things. Still, this will do for now. As for the water from a kappa's bowl…" She glanced around, before shrugging. "Well, I have a cucumber that was in one of Nitori's bowls. I'll squeeze the water out, and it should work fine."

With that remark, she nearly flew over to a cauldron boiling atop a small octagonal block. After setting the vials down once again, she leaned over, tweaking a few dials on its side. "Have to get it to the right temperature first… I want to make sure that all the materials melt down. I remember the last time I had to use poison ivy, and it didn't melt far enough for the other ingredients to counteract the poison." She shivered momentarily. "But that's done. And now, the mini-hakkero will be ready to annihilate these ingredients and create a new potion. Out of love."

With a small giggle, she began grabbing vials once more. "One, two, and three whiskers… I do hope that the petty tengu has grown them back. I'd hate if she still wants to skewer me over such a pittance." Once it was done, she tossed the vial over her shoulder where it skidded over the floor before slamming into the opposite wall. "And now… One, two, three, and _four_ drops of satori tears. I'd say that Koishi should have to cry me a river, but the crazy girl would probably do it too. At least she can cry so easily on command, and I don't have to hurt either of them to get the ingredients…" This time, she set the bottle down with care, making sure not to lose a single drop more of its contents.

The next two vials were summarily emptied into the cauldron, and tossed away as the first one was. Spinning back to her feet, the girl marched back over to another shelf, where she began to push aside various bottles and containers. "Now where did I put… Aha! There is that cucumber!" Pulling out two different ones, she began to march over to her cauldron once again, before something on one cucumber made her stop. Curiously, she turned it over, staring at it in the low light. "Marisa? Why is my name on it…?" Blinking her eyes, she attempted to think of the answer before it finally popped up in her head. "Oh, this must be one I tossed in the river years ago. She had kept it all this time?"

A soft smile coming over her face, she turned around and placed it back on the shelf. "Well, I don't see any harm in keeping that one. I'm sure one cucumber will be enough." With that, she turned back around towards the cauldron, only one cucumber at hand. Gripping it firmly, she squeezed it tightly, causing it to split along its skin as cucumber juice dripped out. After a small stream had made its way into it, Marisa finally stopped and placed the cucumber to the side. "Here we go. Should be all. Now just to go and check."

One last time, she peered down at the book. "Just need a piece of whomever I want to gain knowledge of…" She paused for a moment, as the shadows danced across her face. "Well, I could go after Patchouli, but should I risk it? I've not scouted out to see if she has any mental wards… And that little devil of hers might notice something is trying to pry into her mind." Shivering slightly, she nodded her head before turning to a nearby drawer. "However, I know another magician quite a bit better, and she has no one to look over her."

Pulling open the drawer, she reached her hand in. Groping about, she smacked aside various metal implements before feeling a small length of lace. With a small cry of victory, she withdrew the scrap of sanguine cloth and turned it over in her fingers. "I'm sure Alice won't mind at all. And perhaps I can finally learn what is in that grimoire of hers…" With a small chuckle, she moved back to the cauldron and tossed the last ingredient in.

For a few moments it began to sink into the viscous fluid, before it disintegrated. A plume of smoke exploded up from the pot, bright purple. A few sparks shot into the air above it, spiraling before exploding into stars. The eruption continued for almost thirty seconds, before it finally began to die down. As it did, one last puff of smoke shaped like a heart floated from the top of the concoction, before snaking into the air and out the chimney.

Her face covered with a wide grin, Marisa approached the potion. Taking a ladle down from the mantle, she dipped it down into the iron pot before placing the potion into a nearby glass tumbler. Tossing the ladle aside, she picked up the potion and twirled it around. "I suppose I should test this frusta, but Fortune favors the bold, does she not?" Pinching her nose, she held the glass in the air. "Bottoms up, then."

Tipping the glass to her lips, she poured the potion down, quaffing the entire load. A few seconds by as she smacked her lips, tasting it in spite of herself. "You know, I don't feel the knowledge. Perhaps it's gonna take a moment to kick in-" She suddenly swayed, letting the glass fall to the floor. "Oh, yeah, definitely feelin' woozy. Perhaps I should be layin' myself down…" With a stagger, she started to walk back towards one of the back rooms. She suddenly froze again, a drunk look coming over her face. "Or maybe I'll just take a nap right here. Goodnight, Mimi-chan…"

And with a final sway, the small teen swayed like a small dogwood tree, before finally toppling over onto the ground.

* * *

Marisa dreamed. Visions danced in her head, like a spinning curse goddess. Flashes of dolls, decked out in dressed of frills and lace. Strings of white, black and red crisscrossed everywhere she could see, connected to everything in sight. Beyond the silent cacophony stood a large book with a lock on its front. Marisa tried to run towards it, urging her body forward. But she wouldn't move, she couldn't move.

A shadow began to cover her eyes, distracting her from her current objective. Looking up, a large hand began to descend from the dark sky above her. It reached towards her, strings flying out from rings above and below each of their knuckles. It approached her slowly, unflinchingly. And just as she could not run forward before, she now could not run away. She was trapped as the hand reached forward to grasp her.

And then she woke up.

Bright line shone through her windows as her eyes squinted in an attempt to mitigate it. The bay windows before her were facing the sun, showering her in its rays. Eventually, however, her eyes adjusted, and she took in the view out the window.

_That isn't the view from my house. I don't have any windows like this. This large, or this new. Am I in her tower? It looks like it?_ Sitting up, she looked at the window. _Yes, this is definitely Alice's house. Too prim and proper. So, did I actually change into her?_

Suddenly, she looked down at her body. Adorning her, instead of a nightgown or a pair of pajamas as she herself would prefer, was an oddly familiar dress of blue. _Odd. This doesn't look like one of Alice's dresses. Even if she had fallen asleep while working on a new doll, I don't think she would have been wearing this. And it doesn't look like a dress she would wear anyways. It looks more like one of her…_

A terrible idea arising in her head, she snapped her eyes down while raising her hands. The image before her made her reel. Instead of soft pink hands were blocks of wood, bound together with tiny brass fittings. Body starting to shake, Marisa brought them even closer, examining every inch before her. The tiny screws that bolted the wood to the metal braces, springs that pushed and pulled as she stretched and squeezed the fingers together.

But even though she saw the hand in front of her opening and closing, she could not feel the hand moving. Even though she knew that the springs were pulling on the faux fingers, she could not actually _feel_ the pull. And when she placed one hand on the other, she could not feel wood, nor could she feel the metal.

Frantically, she began running her hands all over herself. Blue cloth and white lace met the tips of the fingers, and yet she could not feel the woven texture. One moment of humor met her in the midst of her panic. _The dress is pulling completely flat. I was a washboard before, but I suppose I am one literally._

But even that sarcastic amusement couldn't keep her from beginning to panic. She began to suck in her breath. Then, with ever growing horror, she realized that she _couldn't_.

The hands darted to her mouth in a futile attempt to feel for a mouth, to pull it open. Still, no purchase was found, and no mouth was pulled down for her to suck in her breath.

Her eyes began to swim, as what she knew was true overrided her body's apparently lack of need to breathe. She began to claw at her wooden throat as her legs began to move on her own. Marisa barely even noticed as she tumbled off of a shelf and fell onto the hard floor before. She began to climb the set of stairs that had been unseen moments before. Standing just as tall as two of the steps, she struggled up as if she was ascending a wooden mountain instead of a set of stairs that she would have easily climbed moments before.

Wooden fingers met glass as she eventually made it to the top of the mountain. She stayed still for minutes, as she looked out over the land. Glassy eyes saw everything before her, just as they saw nothing. The panic had overwhelmed her mind.

Slowly, eventually, she calmed down. The shaking of her body, stiff as wood, had gradually subsided. She slowly allowed herself to believe the new reality. She no longer had to breathe, nor was she able to.

Pushing herself back slightly, Marisa peered into the window. Attempting to focus her eyes on the reflection that faint in front of her, instead of the early morning woods beyond.

She saw an all too familiar face. A perfectly white wooden skin, painted to appear as porcelain. Glass eyes, of a striking shade of blue, with a small shutter for a pupil. A small button nose jutted out, in perfect proportion for her face. Golden hair, seemingly spun from the precious mineral itself framed her face, falling down her back and controlled by only one oversized blue bow. But the scariest part of the image before her was none of that.

The scariest part of it was the simple, small, painted smile. It just sat there, not wavering, not changing. Even as her eyes shimmered with fear, the shutters shuddering within, the smile never _moved_.

Inside, Marisa screamed. But only silence answered her plea.

* * *

A/N Short one here, folks, but I thought I would throw it out before I went on to bed. Early day next couple of days, so I can't stay up writing as long as I'd prefer, so I would cut this off now.

The basics of this are simple. Marisa gets spellbook from Patchy, Marisa tries out spell to get knowledge for free, Marisa gets in one heap big trouble. There is more to this story, but I'm not gonna talk too much as it is. I want to get the rest out sooner or later (and it will be added here, instead of tacked on to an additional chapter, so just check back here in the next couple of days)

Suffice to say, things will be changing quite dramatically. And for the record, as the title suggests, Marisa has become Orleans (A Benevolent French Doll), not Shanghai or Hourai. So don't worry, you'll get to see the other two, and perhaps some others along the way. (London? Berlin? Twins Winston and Salem if I want to put a SI? And of course, we can't forget Vina, now can we?) So, I ask to please review and tell what you think of it so far. Any and all are welcome, as they always are.


	4. A Doll They Call the City of Orleans P2

A Doll They Call the City of Orleans (Part 2)

See Previous Chapter for Summary

Chapter Rating: T

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* * *

Still staring at the window, Marisa could barley move so great was the dawning horror. Her mind was slowly starting to come back online, attempting to begin thinking of a way out of the situation she was in. _It was the potion that did this, wasn't it? If I could only get back to the house, maybe I could…_

Any thoughts that were crossing her wooden mind were immediately interrupted by a shout further up the stairs. Calling out to the house at large, a very familiar voice shouted, "Orleans!"

Freezing at the shout, Marisa slowly twisted her head about, idly noting that it was freely rotating without having to turn her body. _So, I am in Alice's house. But which one is Orleans? I only see Shanghai and Hourai outside…_ Still, she barely moved as footsteps sounded across the floor upstairs. "Orleans! Why aren't you coming? Is something wrong?" The footsteps began to grow louder as the dealmaker began descending the stairs.

Marisa's glass eyes darted about, looking for an escape. Her small legs were now too short to carry her quickly in any direction, and she didn't know how to fly in this form. _And I'm not going to learn in a few seconds_. Running out of options as the leather shoes of the puppeteer came into view, she did the only thing she could do.

She fell to the ground as if someone had cut her strings.

Still, her eyes faced up, allowing her to see as the woman came into view. Formerly shorter than her, Alice towered above Marisa's wooden form. A small frown marring her face, she leaned down and reached out for Marisa, her hair tussled and loose from her customary headband. "Odd… Why are you down here, Orleans? Have your spells worn off?"

Picking up Marisa in her hands, Alice examined what she thought was a doll. "Indeed, it seems to be the case… Perhaps it's been too long since I've done anything with your series…" With a light shrug, she flicked a finger forward, extending a red string through the air. "Especially if your enchantments died halfway through getting up off of your shelf. But this won't take too long. Just need to have them all recast."

With that, she smiled gently while pulling the collar of Marisa's dress down her back. With her spare hand, she flicked the red string forward, where it snaked around Marisa's body before slotting into the base of her neck.

Her artificial pupils dilated as images flashed through her mind once more. Words began to flow, repeating loudly in her mind. **_Obey. Grovel. Enjoy. Clean. Fight. Curtsy. Serve. Smile._** Over and over, they flowed through her head, impressing further and further into Marisa's mind. Her eyes danced as the images became clearer, showing her images of what she should do. How she should always be at Alice's side, cleaning whatever was dirty near her. Always supplicating before her, marveling at her beauty. Always ready to fight and die for her mistress. All this, with a smile on her face and in her heart.

Numbed by the images, she barely noticed as a few seconds ticked by before her body began to float. Out of Alice's hand she rose, until she was at eye level with the magician. Somewhat involuntarily, her body began to move, dusting off her dress. **_Must look best for Mistress. Mustn't be slovenly._** After ensuring that there was not the smallest spec of dust left on her, Marisa spun around, before her body curtsied. **_Must give Mistress the proper respect._**

With a small little clap, Alice retuned the curtsy. "Good girl, Orleans! See, it must have been something minor. You're back in action like no problem." Walking around the doll, she examined its every facet. "Springs are still good, fittings are all fine and not loose. The wood isn't rotted or split. The enchantment must have simply taken poorly the first time.

With a cheeky grin, she tilted her head. "So, how do I look today, Orleans? Absolutely gorgeous? For a moment, Marisa's head twisted slightly to the right, preparing to say no in the only way she could. _After all, she looks a mess. What with her hair looking like it hasn't seen a bath in _**_Mistress is always wonderful. Mistress is always beautiful. Mistress is the best looking witch in the forest._** Her eyes locked down, the small shake quickly turned into enthusiastic nodding, her hair flopping about.

A small giggle was Alice's response. "As always, aren't I?" She giggled a bit longer, her mirthful expression slowly falling away. "I suppose I can be a bit silly at times, can't I? I have all of you to stoke my pride." She shook her head before yanking her hand back. The string detached from the back of Marisa's neck without a problem before slithering back around Alice's finger.

Turning away, she began to walk back up the stairs. "Come on, Orleans. I have Shanghai and Hourai helping already, but you've always been the best at cleaning. So, you'll have plenty of help, now won't you?"

Initially trying to resist, Marisa felt her body floating along after Alice unwillingly. **_Must assist mistress. Always must be ready to help mistress._** _Why can't I stop thinking like this? Is this what runs through all of her dolls' minds?_ Her eyes stayed locked on the middle of Alice's back as they both ascended the stairs, before reaching the tip of the tower. Marisa's eyes widened involuntarily as she took in the scope of the room, stacked with books to the ceiling and in a room far larger than was physically possible. _Jackpot_.

"Here we are, Orleans. I need you to help the others clean this up. I've Patchouli visiting later today to see if I've anything she might perhaps be missing from her library." With a small laugh, she rolled her eyes. "Crazy thought, isn't it little one? It's hard to imagine Patchouli not having one book at all considering the size of her own."

She stopped speaking suddenly, bringing a finger to her mouth. "Then again, you haven't been in Voile, have you? Maybe I'll take you there sometime… But I don't think Miss Izayoi would appreciate a cleaning doll attempting to usurp her job." Winking at the doll, she spun back around and walked down the halls. "Shanghai, Hourai! Where are you?"

_Shouldn't she know where the dolls are? For that matter, shouldn't she know that I'm in here? And it's not like I'd actually try to _**_clean the Library better than a maid. Clean better than anything. Must perform best for mistress_**_. Dammit!_

A few seconds of waiting, with the floating doll reluctantly following the puppet master, passed by before there was any reaction. From the tops of the stacks, two small figures began falling, before floating down to the shelves nearest Alice's head level. Taking a sheet on the wooden shelves, the blue and red dressed dolls smoothed out their skirts and awaited her orders. Unseen by the magician, Marisa's eyes widened at how large the dolls were. _This is crazy. I'm smaller than they are too?_

Alice smiled gently, reaching out to pat their heads. "There you two are. Are you having any luck?" The two nodded smoothly, their wooden mouths turning up into smiles. _Wait, they can smile too? Crap, I can't believe I'm actually _jealous_ of the dolls._ "Good, good. You don't have to be getting the books in any particular order. Just get the shelves dusted off well enough. I've brought Orleans up in order to help, so have her assist. I'll be downstairs tidying up with the everyone else!"

The dolls, having listened the whole time without moving an inch, nodded once again. "Ok then, I'll see you in a few hours! Take care everyone!" Spinning in place, she began to stride away, boots beating a steady step against the floor as she exited the room.

Marisa just floated in place for a second, trembling as her body tried to go along with its duties. **_Must clean for mistress_**_ but I don't want to, I shouldn't be _**_forced into doing what is best for mistress. Clean for _**_Alice but why? I'm not her possession _**_but I belong to mistress_**_._

Interrupting the mental battle within the wooden doll's mind, the doll in the blue dress swept in front of her. Glass eyes staring down glass eyes, the crystal blue eyes of the dolls seemed to be staring Marisa down. Without warning, it looked over the shoulder, and opened its mouth. "Hourai, grab her!"

Before Marisa could overcome her inner turmoil, a pair of wooden hands had wrapped around her own wrists, before they were twisted back behind her. Her wrists came free for but a moment, before a set of arms wrapped in red encircled her waist, binding her in place. Before she could even begin to struggle even further than she was in her current state, she was hoisted high into the air, to the very top of the room.

Unceremoniously, she was tossed onto the top of one of the shelves. Wood having no pain by meeting wood, Marisa still lost her sense of direction being tossed around. After a few seconds of kissing the planks, she shook her head out and looked back up. Only to meet the eyes of two dolls staring her down.

Two dolls with large and sharp weapons, more imposing than they should be in all regards.

The red one looked at its companion, its face breaking out into a grin. "So, Shanghai, look what we have here. A brand new doll that is awake. Are we going to have _fun_?"

The blue one shook its head, bringing a hand to its chin and stroking. "Not quite fun Hourai. She's not acting right for one of us. Orleans never got out much anyway, so she shouldn't have woken up at all…" Leaning down, Shanghai drug her finger along Marisa's face. "Not to mention that she has no nostrils, or a mouth or many of the final features of Mama's best. Like us." Grasping the bottom of the head of the smaller doll, she growled, "So, who are you, and why are you in our little sister?"

Eyes darting about as the wood of her face creaked precipitously, Marisa sought an escape. Finding none in her vision, she closed her eyes and exhaled mentally. _So, Shanghai and Hourai are both alive? That's not what I remember. Has Alice been hiding something from me?_ Not bothering to answer her own mental questions, she did the only thing she could do. She pointed to herself.

"Yes, you." Sighing, she released the doll and brought a hand to her head. "And now, I feel like I've a headache coming on. Why did Alice bother to make us so well to have headaches?"

Hourai grinned widely and quipped, "I don't think she designed us to have them, Shanghai. I think that's just because you're alive, like me! What's being alive without a little pain?"

"A lot easier, is what it is." With a snort, Shanghai ruefully shook her head. "Sometimes I wish I was still a doll… But this way, it's easier to protect Mama." Turning her head back to Marisa, her voice became stern once again. "Again, I'll ask, who are you? Or perhaps I should first ask if you are Orleans or not?"

Slowly, Marisa shook her head. "Good, at least you're honest about that. But perhaps you should be telling us who exactly you are." She chanced a glance back at her companion. "Or I'll just leave you to Hourai to take care of."

Grin growing to Glasgow proportions, the doll in red joyfully shouted, "Hooray! I can take care of her? That will be fun!" She bounced in place for a bit. "I know, I know! I can hang her!"

With a woody thunk, Shanghai slapped her own face. "Hourai… You weren't hanged to be killed; you were hanged to give you your powers. Threatening to hang our friend will just cause trouble." Extending one wooden finger, she added, "Besides, you can't take off your noose. Can you?"

In the middle of this byplay, Marisa was attempting to think of what she could do to signal to them. _I can't talk, and I don't know any way to sign who I am. And interpretive dance is out of the question._ _Still, what can I do? Or should I do?_**_ One should clean, to please the Mistress_**_. Wait, clean… Dusty shelves!_

With a flourish of her crudely joined fingers, she began to draw in the dust. Unable to get the correct form to work in the shifting dust, she wrote it out slowly in English. Concentrating and mentally biting her tongue, she barely noticed as the other two dolls stopped bickering with each other and looked down where she was writing.

Momentarily lost for words, Shanghai eventually recovered. "Marisa? Kirisame?" At the eager nods from the doll, she sighed, bringing her hand once again to her head. "Wonderful. Was this yet another harebrained plan to steal something from Mama?"

Any reply was immediately denied when Hourai flew forward and glommed the other girl. "Mareesa! It's you! Wonderful! You always have some of the best fights!" At the silent doll's curious look, she explained. "Mama doesn't like to fight too much, but she always enjoys fighting against you. It's odd. She doesn't like the reasons she is fighting you, but she enjoys the fight itself."

"Hourai! Stop being so nice to her! She causes mistress so much bother. Why aren't you stabbing her like you are wont to do?"

Hourai only grinned in reply. "But then who would I get to fight against? You?"

Rolling her eyes, Shanghai ignored the comment and knelt down next to Marisa. Yanking her up by the color, she met her eyes once more. "Well, then, black-white. Play nice, and I might figure out a way to let Mama know that you're stuck in one of her dolls. But if you don't, or decide to steal something while you're here…" She pulled a finger across her throat. "Bad things will happen. Crystal?"

Marisa could only nod in response. _Getting the lowdown from one of Alice's dolls of all things. At least one of them seems to like me; either that, or likes fighting me. What more could go wrong, now? _**_Must be cleaning shelves for Mistress. Too little done at this point. Inefficient._**_ Oh do shut up._

* * *

A/N Well, here's part two of this. Yeah, I said I'd put this in with the other one, and I'll do it eventually. Until then, these will be in two chapters. Besides, it's almost as long as a regular one for Sublime Soliloquy, so I think it's long enough.

I may have moved a bit fast with Marisa being sniffed out, but as my Shanghai and Hourai are alive, it wouldn't be hard for them to tell if another doll is also alive, albeit in the wrong way. Especially with how many things tar are wrong with the picture Marisa gave them.

No more of this for now, but fair warning. I've yet to hit the biggest plot twist. And if you're wondering about pairings, I was actually thinking about this going for Marisa and Nitori. For reasons that will be seen later, but mostly because I see Alice as mostly a friend in this. Of course, Marisa/Hourai is always a possibility. Oh, and Winston and Salem? Perhaps I could use them as a Statler and Waldorf expy. If I do decide do go that far. Dohohoho. Anyways, enough poor jokes. Until next time, as always, read and review!


	5. Coin That Falls from the Sky

Coin That Falls from the Sky

A variety of incidents of a magical coin that grants wishes in Gensokyo. ...There's not much more than that to it than that, to be honest.

Chapter Rating: M

* * *

"Ahaha... Stupid Reimu. She hardly noticed when I swapped her a lead disk for this coin." Marisa grinned with glee, staring down at the gleaming token between her fingers. "But this certainly is interesting. A nice gold coin, pretty fancy looking too.

With a curious eye, she held it up to her face. Examining the front face of the token, she frowned at the laughing jester on it. "Huh, I wonder what that means though. Wait, is there some text on it?" Peering even closer, some text seemed to morph in right before her eyes. "Make a... Wish? Flip to use? Sounds interesting." Glancing about, she clasped it to her chest before flying home.

"A magical coin that grants wishes? Interesting." During her musings on what to wish for, it didn't take the witch long to get home. Quickly running in and slamming the door, she looked around her room. Seeing that the windows were still open, she pulled the drapes shut and lit an oil lamp. In its flickering light, she pulled the coin out again.

"Now, a wish I can make. If there is anything I could wish for, what could it be...?"

Marisa shrugs, thinking of the most obvious thing that she could need. "I wish that I had more wishes! After all, more wishes means more stuff I can do!"

Flipping the coin, it landed on heads. Glancing about nervously, the witch swallowed, before leaning down to pick the coin up. "Nothing happened? How... Odd." She looked at it closely.

"Maybe I should try again? Or is it a dud..."

"Alright then! If nothing happens on heads, then surely it works when it lands on tails!" Marisa grinned and flipped the coin. "I wish for more wishes!" The coin spun in the air, and it landed on heads. Again and again she picked it back up and flipped it in the air. But again and again, it landed on heads. Finally exhausted, she cried out one last time, "I wish for more wishes, you bloody coin!"

Tossing the coin up in the air, she watched as it landed on the ground, finally landing on tails. The coin seemed to flash, before vanishing into thin air. Dumbstruck, Marisa stared at it, slowly realizing what just happened. "Shit... I screwed up."

* * *

Welding mask in place, Nitori was busy placing molten metal into the next contraption she had been working on. The past few prototypes had been unstable, but this one would surely work, should she make every part correctly. However, in her concentration, she did not notice a coin appear above her head. It floated for a moment, before plonking down upon her noggin. The action distracted her, sending the plasma of the torch up and across her creation, ruining it.

Nearly screaming in rage, she stomped on the ground and tore off her mask. Tears of anger starting to form, she began to glance around for the object that distracted her. "So close, I was so 'close'..."

Eventually finding the coin, she picked it up before placing it on the table. Before she could make a move for the welding torch to melt down the offending object, she caught a glimpse of what it said. "Make a wish? This some kind of magic coin?" She snorted, before looking around. "Or is Marisa trying to steal something of mine."

She lightly touched the edge of the coin with her fingers, it for all intents and purposes a piece of cold metal. "Any wish... Any wish could come true?" Her eyes drifted over to her machine before she shook her head. "No... I can always rebuild that. But I can't rebuild what was lost. Not that easily." Another tear welled up in her eye, this one born of sadness instead of anger.

"I wish... I wish that we and the humans were well and truly allies. Both the villages... and both Marisa and I." She whispered the last part to herself, ears blushing as she flipped it in the air.

It landed on the table, bouncing around slightly, before spinning in place. She gazed down at it, and was met by the eyes of a jester.

Oddly enough, she didn't feel any different. Nothing seemed to have happened, as far as she could tell. Sighing, she slipped it into her pocket and walked towards the door to her workshop. She pulled it open, prepared to simply hit the sack once more.

What she didn't expect was the grinning face of Marisa right in front of her.

With a shout of glee, the blonde-headed witch glomped the kappa, spinning her around in the air. "Nitori!" With a gay laugh, she set the kappa back down on the ground, while giving her a brilliant smile. "Nitori, what do you think you're doing up here all by your lonesome? Come on down, there's a festival going down in the village tonight! I'm not letting you get away from that!"

The kappa blinked in shock, tilting her head to the side. "W-what Marisa? There's something going down in the human village?" A look of wonder came over her face, eyes widening. "And you want to take me to it!"

Marisa crossed her arms, giving Nitori a mock-offended look. "Of course I am! Would I ever go to a festival without my best friend! And what do you mean, human village?" She tilted her head, staring at the kappa curiously. "You were the one who signed the treaty, that combined our villages! Or are you just being silly?"

Blushing at being called her best friend, Nitori hid behind her hat. "Y-yes I am. Completely silly. I'm just so used to calling it the human village, that I..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You great silly kappa." Laughing at her flustered friend she hugged her tightly once again. "But come on! We need to get hurrying, or even I can't get you there in time!" With that, she strolled out the door, picking up a heavily modified broom as she goes by.

Nitori stared down at the coin in awe. "It actually granted my wish? What else could it do?"

"This is too good to use again. What if I screw things up with another wish? I have to get rid of it, just in case I mess up. But how...?" The kappa nodded her head shortly, slipping it into her pocket. "I'll just give it away to the first one that I see, later. I know that they'll need it more than I. Now that I have..." The blush crept up her neck again.

Walking out of the door, she met up with Marisa, standing there with a second pair of goggles, tuning up some levers on the broom. Smiling warmly at the invention she must have apparently made for Marisa in this reality, she walked up to her. "So, are you ready to go now?"

Turning back to Nitori, she gave her a warm smile. "Since my best friend is here, yes I am." Chuckling at the blushing kappa, she offered her a hand and pulled her on board. Wrapping her arms around Marisa tightly, Nitori gave a sigh of contentment as they lifted off and began to head south, towards the village.

Part of the way there, she spotted a youkai out of the corner of her eye. Mind suddenly flashing on what to do, she fished the coin out of her pocket and watched the youkai. Determining they were close enough, she tossed it away, before going back to hugging her best friend in the entire world.

* * *

The coin fell out of the sky, bouncing among some trees before settling itself within the folds of a book. The youkai who was reading the book jumped in place, peering cautiously at the coin. "What is this? Random money from the sky? Probably more of the thieves, dropping so much of their loot." Picking it up, she peered at it. "Make a wish, huh? What could I wish for..."

Sighing, the youkai shook her head. "I just wish that humans would not be so evil to those of us, that are weaker than them. I just want to get along..." With that, she flipped her coin. Seeing it land on heads, she shrugged. "Maybe that will do some good. Probably not. They'll just come along and steal it too, along with this book."

The youkai then returned to reading, a sense of satisfaction enveloping her despite her words.

Blinking, the youkai returned to her books, dissecting their contents greedily. However, as the hours passed by, and the remaining pages grew thin, she sighed. "I just wish I had my other books back..." Her eyes fell upon the coin, still resting beside her. "You know... why not?"

Taking it in her hand, she made her wish again, and flipped the coin up into the air. Once again, it landed heads up, the jester staring at her. And as she looked back, books fell from the sky, surrounding her.

With wide eyes, she dug through the books, spotting titles she hadn't seen in months. With a squeal of delight, she began to dig through one of the books, happy to once again be allowed to read it, in peace.

Engrossed in her books, Tokiko continued to read, letting the hours slip by. As dusk fell, she gathered up all of her books in her hands, a great big grin on her face, and set out to the tree that she had called home.

Behind her, was left a coin on the ground.

* * *

A few days later, a pink clad girl trudged forward through the underbrush, muttering under her breath. "Stupid sister... I'm stronger than her. Why she has to go and beat me, I don't know. Stupid danmaku. At least I'm still prettier too. Better in every way."

With a flutter of pink wings, she cleared away the leaves, revealing the shiny form of a coin. Drawn by the sight, she picked up the coin and examined it, turning it between her fingers. "Hrm... Interesting... Make a wish?" A smile began to cover Mai's face. "If this works... I could have some fun."

A thoughtful expression coming over her face, she flipped the coin in the air. "I wish that I could get away with any prank I pull on Yuki." Spinning around in the air, it landed on her palm. Not noticing the flash, she clenched her fist around the coin that faced tails up. "Now, let me get to plotting."

Later, she had set up a most wondrous prank for her sister. When she'd be called in to eat dinner, she would trigger some latent magic around the doorframe and freeze her solid.

However, after calling, things began to go wrong. The pots on the stove began to boil too quickly, the flames shooting up from a boil. The water spilled out of the sides, sloshing onto the floor, causing Mai to trip as she ran to take them off the burners. Sliding across the room, she crossed the threshold of the doorway, where the magic kicked in.

Now, trapped within ice of her own creation, she frowned, wondering what she would do when she thawed.

A few minutes later, and a puddle was most of what remained of her trap. Hopping over to the window, Mai tossed the coin out with a heave. The stupid thing had caused her this trouble, and the stupid thing would continue to be trouble.

And outside the window it laid until a passerby retrieved it.

* * *

Later that evening, as a dollmaker and her creations were heading back towards the overworld, a doll patted the side of her dress. In the pockets of her tiny skirt lay a large round object, almost too big to fit in. She had found it on the way home, and thought it was interesting. She would keep it for later. Perhaps even her mother would let her use it.

After getting back, and bidding her mother goodnight, Shanghai sped off to the little doll bed that was her own. Even if it wasn't needed, it made her feel wanted. Glass eyes met the coin, hidden under the covers earlier when she had returned. Reading the inscription once again, she wondered what she should do.

With her wooden fingers grasping the coin, she heaved it in the air, wishing in her heart to have more sisters. It spun around in the air slowly, not traveling far from the doll. Eventually, though, it landed on the wooden floor, spinning in place. Showing tails.

As it flashed, Shanghai blinked, feeling the same. No variety of sisters popped out to greet her. However, her musings were interrupted by a voice down the hall. "Shanghai! Take your brothers and fetch a towel! They managed to make quite a large mess."

'Brothers?' Her eye sought the coin.

Sighing as only a doll would, she scooped her coin and tucked it once more into her dress. Launching out of the room, she found a group of male dolls, all wearing trousers of some kind, and most wearing overalls, hiding from fear at the sight of Alice. Who seemed to have had a large bucket of water spilled on top of her.

Fearing what exactly could be wrong with these dolls, Shanghai held her head high and sped past them, heading towards the linen closet in order to fetch a towel. Bending down to grab the towel out, she suddenly felt a hand smelt her rear end. Blushing, she met the faces of her new brothers, all satisfied with themselves. Two in the far back gave each other a high five at her reaction.

Fuming, she turned away, grabbing a few more towels. However, before she could lift off, a wooden hand grabbed the coin out from her dress. Spinning around, she saw the same doll that had smacked her, noose around its neck, examining the coin, before flipping it up in the air.

With a grin on his face, the coin hit the floor, landing with heads facing up. Everyone was still for a moment, before a white flashed clouded Shanghai's eyes. Once the glass orbs were finally able to see again, she was able to take in the sight before her.

The rest of her brothers, besides Hourai, now all appeared to be her sister again. But they were... different, from before. Their faces were more refined than before, their wooden fingers delicate and doll dresses short. The dolls also had a figure that she knew was not cut by Alice, as she would 'never' do such a thing to them.

Looking down, Shanghai sighed as the changes seemed to have even affected her. Two wooden breasts now laid on her chest, noticeable in their conspicuous presence after previously being flat-chested. And the fact that the dress was now low enough to show them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a lecherous hand attempting to reach towards her. She smacked it away, before staring down Hourai. He only responded with a cheeky grin, reaching out to another of her sisters and attempting to stroke her cheek.

He was met with another slap, which caused his expression to falter. He began to back away slowly, as she and her sisters encircled him, murder beginning to form in their eyes.

As he was forced away, Shanghai picked up the coin, before staring down her brother.

With a heave, she flung the coin into the air, wishing she had never found the coin in the first place. It spun through the air once more, before landing down on the ground, tails up.

All was quiet, before the coin flashed and disappeared, leaving them all standing there. Staring down, she would have broken down in tears at the fact that everything stayed the same.

But dolls cannot cry.

* * *

On top of the clouds, an oarfish was staring off the sides and down on to the earth below. "Jes, what can I do? The brat must be stopped. Shee has caused so much trouble, and she yust gees away with it all."

From above her head, a coin fell from the sky, landing square at her feet. "What ees dys?" Bending down, she picked it up, turning it over in her hands. "Uno weesh? Dat be mighty nice. Bud what can I weesh for?"

"Hrm, I wonder... Meeght the brat be ever stopped? For forever..." She rolled the r on the word, tasting it in her mouth. "That meeght be neece, indeed. I have yust the theeng." Taking the coin in her hand, she flipped it up in the air. Landing on tails, she glanced around, wondering if anything happened. However, she let out a small laugh, realizing that if she was now being punished for what she did, she would not know it now.

Still gazing off the edge of the clouds, she wondered what to do now.

"Some teem off would be neece. But, I believe that I shouldn't be too greedy." With a shrug, she flipped it off the side, not caring which way it landed. "I should be getteeng back now. De brat meeght need another mess cleaned up..."

The coin kept spinning further and further as it fell through the clouds, down the mountainside. Further and further it fell, banging off one tree to another, before falling upon a leaf, tails facing up.

* * *

A few hours later, a quiet voice in the woods was heard, muttering as she approached the coin's resting place. "I wish sister understood what I meant. We shouldn't have to subordinate ourselves to Yasaka... We should be allowed to live as we please."

Coming across the coin, she picked it up. With a hint of skepticism, she turned it between her hands. "A wish, for a flip? How odd. Seems too good to be true."

"Well, maybe it could do some good... But I just wish that Yasaka would leave us alone. That she'd stop trying to recruit us." With that, she flipped the coin into the air, letting it land on her palm. Staring at the jester's face, she didn't notice the flash of light before she started to move along. Slipping it into her pocket, she began to head back towards home.

Coming out into the clearing where their home was, her jaw dropped. Instead of the small wooden cabin that they called home, there stood a tall shrine, sweeping slopes dominating the landscape. A veritable forest of trees lined a large stone pathway, their leaves falling out of season, only to grow anew once more. And below them on the forest floor was a blanket of plant life, of fruits and vegetables immeasurable to meet visitors.

With disbelief, she began to make her way into the shrine that stood atop her home. Reaching the inside of the building, she cautiously cried out, "Sister? Minoriko? Are you here!"

"Of course I am!" Her voice wafted in through one of the doors, followed by the smell of cooking. Mouth beginning to water, Shizuha began walking that way, finding Minoriko in the kitchen, fixing some food. The younger goddess turned towards her, eying her older sister. "Where do you think I would be! We must prepare for tonight, after all."

"Tonight?" Shizuha blinked. "What is tonight?"

"Don't you remember?" Minoriko shook her head, a smile on her face. "Older sister, don't you remember these things? It is midsummer's festival! As the patron deities of the mountain, it is our duty to begin the festival."

The older, shorter girl blinked. "You mean.. We're getting... faith?" Such a concept was nearly foreign to them. To actually receive faith like a proper goddess?

Misunderstanding her sister, Minoriko gave her a cocky grin. "Of course we are! If you bothered to show up some, you'd probably get even more faith than you already do!" She chuckled slightly, turning back to show off her profile. "And you might even get as big as me, if that was the case."

Blushing brightly, Shizuha turned away. "N-not like I want that, or anything." Ignoring her sister's still mocking grin, she turned around. "Well, I'm going to get ready then, I suppose. I'll see you in a bit, sister."

With that, she exited the room, and made her way through the shrine to where she supposed the living quarters are. Finding a room with her name on it, she sighed and slumped against the door. "What is happening..." Looking down, where she still held the coin, she asked in awe, "What more can you do?"

As she stared at the coin, a crow seemed to phase through the wall, swooping down and taking the coin from her hands before flying out the other side of the wall. Shizuha stared at it, before shrugging. "I suppose I shouldn't be too greedy then.

Standing outside the door, a tengu waited eagerly for her crow to return. She wanted to get a snapshot of whatever magical item the goddess had. Then, she could use it for her own ends. However, the coin flashed on its own, disappearing from the claws of the crow.

The tengu stared momentarily, before screaming in rage.

* * *

In a mansion across the lake, a young girl was busy relaxing in the bath. Her body too small to even take up half of its length, she still appeared to give an aura of serene grace. As much as an apparent twelve year old could, at least.

Still, she took a deep sigh of contentment as she relaxed in the water. "This is the life..." The girl stretched, yawning widely and exposing her fangs. She was about to sink further until even her blue hair wouldn't show above the water, when a plunk sounded in the room. Curiously, she reached forward, digging through the water until she found the offending object. Withdrawing it, she looked at its side, frowning. "Such a tawdry object... So cheap looking. But it has... magic? What kind of magic could that be?" A small smile crossed her lips.

"What could I wish for, that I don't have..."

With a grin on her face, she flipped the coin on the air. "I shall have the one thing I have never had. I wish for the world."

The coin flips once more into the air, slowly flying forward until it lands in the water. It slowly sinks down through the liquid, floating slowly to the bottom of the tub. Eventually, it settled in, with heads facing up.

* * *

_This is the _**Remilia News Network **_with a breaking news story. Empress Remilia The First and Last has decreed that today from now on will be World Bloodletting Day. Every human is henceforth required to give of themselves one pint of blood, so as to create an adequate stockpile for the Empress' taste. The one whose blood she deems the best she will take as a concubine, as to reward the lucky person._

_Thank you, and hope you have enjoyed the story. This has been _**The Charismatic**_. Signing off now, so that you may remember to hail the Empress, most beautiful and deadly!_

* * *

A/N This here is a story that I wrote on and offshoot, along with Sonanoka. It was in a bit of a CYOA format when we originally did it, but I thought I'd put it on here. It works pretty well, and I thought that bad end was pretty amusing. She has some really good ideas, though, so she got this ball rolling along pretty well.

And if you're wondering why I haven't updated much past couple of days, I've been working on a collab with her on top of everything. It's posted on her page, so if you want to check it out, go on ahead. It's nothing too serious, and will get even sillier as we go on. But I probably should be digressing now. I just thought I'd put this out, see what everyone thinks. Anywho, until next time!


	6. Doll's Farewell

Doll's Farewell to the Girl Who Played With People's Shapes

Summary: Even magicians can't live forever. But what are their creation's thoughts?

Chapter Rating: T

* * *

_Dear Alice,_

_ Hi, Mamaw… How do I write this? Oh, by the gods, I'm not sure how to start. I've hoped for so long I'd not have to write this to you. But it must be done. If not for your sake, for our sakes._

_ You see, we don't know how to say this… How to say goodbye. Why would we ever have to worry about doing such a thing? We're just dolls. Blocks of wood carved into the shape of a person. How could we know loss? It never existed for us. If one of us was broken, you would simply fix us up. Even if we had our arms or legs or heads replaced, we were still the same to you._

_ However, even if we never knew what it was, you certainly did. We all remember the day that you lost that human friend of yours. I wonder if you remembered her, now? You certainly obsessed over it. I remember that it was months before you could finally leave the house again. Months before we ever saw the sunshine._

_ What was worse was your reaction. Was it appropriate to use us like that? To dress us in her clothes so we could take turns, one by one? When you pulled the hair from our heads and replaced it all with blonde, or took the eyes from our sockets and changed them to ones of gold? _

_ I am not saying that we would not have done it, Mamaw. If it would have helped you, you know that we would have done it with a smile on our faces. But it wasn't helping you. You sank deeper and deeper into that spiral, refusing to admit that she had gone. Denying reality that was before you._

_ We all hated it. You had lost yourself, Mamaw. We knew that Marisa had been your friend. Some of us even considered her our own friend. But when she was lost, we felt nothing but the echoes of your pain. She was your friend, first and foremost. Any pain that we would have had was secondary to your own._

_ Do you remember what brought you out of the torment? It was not the plays that you continued to pull, the stories that you kept telling yourself. None of the lies that you heaped upon our hearts was able to save you._

_ Do you remember little Kyoto asking why her Mamaw had stopped caring for her? All she cared about was this Marisa, who had been dead for years. You couldn't bring her back. For all of your puppetry, you couldn't find a way to make the dead walk again. Although, perhaps that was for the better. _

_ Although, I have to wonder if you ever even tried. Perhaps, in your heart, you always knew the answer. _

_ But at last, you were back to us. Back to performing once again for the children in the human village. At least the ones that still cared for our plays. The years had changed the world dearly. Even if we lagged behind the outside world, it still managed to affect us. Our services, sadly, seemed no longer to be required._

_ It was then you realized how alone you truly were. There was no girl that you would spend the days with, refusing to admit how much you cared, even as a friend. The humans had long forgotten you existed, even if the opposite was far from true. So, you packed it all up and took us back to one place. You took us back to Makai._

_ That, more than anything else, hastened your descent. All you wanted was someone to care for you the way that she did, but there were none there that could do it. All that you found were sycophants or lecturers. The only one who cared one whit for you was your mother, but even she was fading fast. The millennia do indeed catch up to you._

_ Listen to me… Here I am writing on some kind of history lesson. Oh, I'm sure you would reprimand me greatly if I bothered to show this to you. I don't care. I wish that I could show it to you. I so dearly wish I could._

_ Little Kyoto still doesn't understand what has happened to you. So happy all the time… We're trying to put on a brave front. But at times, I catch her glaring at us out of the corner of her eye. I think she knows indeed what has happened._

_ Orleans is still trying to do her best to keep us all organized… She's tried to keep us from fretting too badly. Fortunately, dolls need less than even youkai and demons do to keep living. There is so very little to clean up, now. The occasional dusting and it is done._

_ London has been quiet. I think she's taking it worse than she wants to let on. But you picked out the name for her perfectly, what with that stiff upper lip she's been keeping. However, late at night when we should be asleep, she retreats outside and starts to plunk away shots at the trees out back with her bow._

_ Tibet is quiet as well. Even moreso than usual. She never says a word anymore, and just stares out the window. I think she is waiting for you to come back, even if she knows in her mind that you never will. Not that the rest of us are very different._

_ Berlin… Berlin. I don't know what to say for her. She just continues on, the same as before. But she is going through the motions, purely mechanical. It is as if she wants to ignore what has… what has happened. Every day she waits for you to wake her up. And when you don't, she goes instead to wake her mamas up. I am worried for her greatly._

_ Amsterdam is almost as bad. She is constantly weeping, even if we have no ducts for tears to flow through. It doesn't stop her from sitting on the roof and bawling her eyes out. I sorely miss the days when tempers flared and she acted like her old self. Oh, how I wish she would go on a rant right now. We all sorely need the distraction._

_ Pandæmonium is the same as ever. Sometimes, I think the ignorance that she has is bliss. To be able to wait for you to come take her out for a spin once more… It reminds me of how we used to be, way back when. Even yesterday, when we were young…_

_ Oh, and did you know? Even your eldest came by… Vina was quite unlike herself. She didn't rant or rave. She didn't try and tell us we were wrong… She just stared at your stone, not moving one single joint. …She's still out there, staring at it. I think… I think she wants to say she is sorry. But she waited too long. You did as well, Mamaw._

_ I suppose you want to know about Hourai, though, don't you? You do know how much she detested you, Mamaw. How much she hated all the experiments you subjected her to, all the attempts to make her more powerful as you attempted to create life. She hated what you did to her… And what you did to us. _

_ Not to mention that I found her standing over your… your… the other day. She was telling you that you better come back, or she'd hate you for the rest of her life. _

_ …I suppose this is where I write about myself. I don't want to do that, though. There are so many things I could… I could remind you about. Do you remember the times we played together? That we performed? All the times I would argue with Vina, and all the times I would force Hourai to smile. _

_ But in the end, it doesn't matter. Does it? Telling you… Telling you all of these happy stories won't bring you back. They might make me feel better, but they do not bring me what I want. They do not bring my mother back._

_ You… you know what our biggest worry was, Mamaw? We all wondered if we ever truly were alive. Were we just an extension of your personality? Many different pieces of your psyche placed in wooden bodies. But we know the truth, now. Even if we couldn't tell, now that we were awake when you are asleep…_

_ I know now that we are alive… For how else could a wooden heart feel pain?_

_ …This is probably a waste of time. This isn't going to make me feel any better. None of this will truly help us. None of this will help me. You're not coming back. Not now… Not every. Your body was weak and made of flesh, and was what allowed you to die. Is there any way for us to die? Even if we were broken and shattered, would we ever be dead? Or would even the fires take us away, to join you once more._

_ I think… I think I'm going to leave off here. Mamaw… I'm sorry. I'll do what I can to take care of my little sisters. I'll try to make you proud._

_ Good… good… goodbye._

_All of my wooden heart's love, your daughter,_

_Shanghai_


	7. Subterranean Animism - Candid Friend

Subterranean Animism ~ Candid Friend

Summary: An interpretation of Touhou 11 which is just an excuse for a little MarisaxNitori. If you can't tell, I'm not in a summary writing mood, but that sums it up right there. This part contains the events pre-game, leading up to stage 1.

Chapter Rating: E

* * *

"Alright!" Pounding her fist on the table, a blonde-haired witch looks at the other occupants of the dusty room. "So, what is this big fuss that you two are making about these hot springs? You two have just hemmed and hawed about how it is bad, but I want specifics!"

Sighing to herself, the magician across from her adjusts her glasses before looking up at the witch. "You really shouldn't be so impertinent, Marisa. Being so antagonistic will not help your desires." Glancing at their third companion in blue, she nods. "However, we have determined that something evil is coming out of those geysers. Spirits have become quite more prevalent."

"Not to mention that my dolls dislike the geyser itself." The third member looks at the blonde, a small doll fluttering beside her silently as she does. "They dislike even being near it. So as pleasant as a new geyser could be, I agree with Patchouli here. There is something dangerous that is emerging from within."

The witch glanced back and forth between the two for a second. "I get that, Alice. I don't see nothing wrong with the geyser myself… I can't wait to see what the hot spring will be like once it cools down." After a few seconds, though, she slumps back in here chair. "But Reimu has been moaning about some sort of spirits that have been showing up. She might go and do something about it herself."

Glancing at her fellow magician once again, a flicker of a smile shows on Patchouli's face. "Then you'll just have to go first and solve the problem for her, won't you?"

_That_ triggered some kind of amusement within the girl, as she cackles softly under her breath. "I suppose I might have to. It wouldn't be good of me to let her get all of the glory for once, would it?" Even as she laughs, her eyes turn towards the other to as her mind kicks into high gear. "However, there is something you're _not_ telling me. Why aren't you going yourself to solve it? I am not a dog for you to send after your foes."

A snort echoes from the room as Patchouli returns to her book. "More like a cat than anything else. It's within the margin of error." Her eyes flicker to Alice, inviting her to do the explaining.

The puppeteer herself sighs before looking at Marisa. "That is the problem. The source of the danger is issuing forth from the underground. It is an area that we cannot access, so we must send a human in our stead."

"An area… That you can't _access_?" Rolling her eyes, Marisa just looks back at Alice incredulously. "Unless Yukari herself has altered the border to the entrance, I don't believe that for one second. Is it a problem that you can't, or a problem that you _won't_?"

Not even looking up from her book, Patchouli responds. "It is the latter. However, the underground youkai are certainly more viscous and deadly than those that are on the surface. It is apparently taboo for us to interact with them, even on the most basic level."

"But it isn't for a human." Alice smirked quite noticeably at the witch. "So, we can send you down in our stead."

Marisa just took off her hat and began to wring it in response. "Alright, let me get this straight. You want to send _me_ down there into an area of Gensokyo that I didn't even know existed. You're doing that with the most minimal amount of information you can give me." Pausing for a second, she glances at the others. "I _am_ right in thinking that there is very little information you can give me, correct?"

"Correct." Both of the magicians chime in at the same time. Patchouli continues speaking, still not looking up from her book. "There is not much we could tell about the topography of the underground, or where the various cave systems might lead. There is a good chance that you would get lost, especially if you are not careful."

"So, I'm flying blind into this situation, against something that could be releasing evil spirits into Gensokyo. Which means that they are powerful, and have some semblance of control over the dead." Marisa was quiet for a few more seconds as she stared down at the two.

Before they could speak, the witch suddenly leans forward, slamming her fists on the table. A wide grin on her face, she glances at the other two. "That sounds like my kind of crazy. Let's talk."

"I'm glad that you agreed with use, Marisa." Smiling slightly at her reaction, Alice glances at Patchouli. "However, we are not so ignorant as to go into this blind. We called in one youkai whom is old enough and has the knowledge of some of the residents underground."

"You have?" Smiling at her, Marisa shot the girl a wink. "I should have known that you two had more up your sleeve!" Looking back and forth between the two, she tilts her head to the side. "So, tell me, who is it that is helping us?"

To their left, a small voice chimes in. "T-that would be m-me…" As all three turned to look at where the voice issued forth, a green hat shimmers into existence, barely peeking over the table. Underneath it were strands of blue hair that were rather familiar to the blonde witch.

Still, it took her a moment to realize who it was. "Nitori Kawashiro? The kappa?" At her words, the youkai began to rise up, her eyes finally peeking over the table. "It is! So, what are you doing here? Gonna try and stop me for my own safety?"

"No…" The tiny girl shakes her head, before standing up to her full height. Even doing so, she is barely taller than Patchouli and Alice as they sat. "I'm here because I want to be. I want to help you. After all, kappa and humans are ancient allies."

Ignoring the satisfied look on Patchouli's face, Marisa just strokes her chin. "_Interesting_. I had thought that you were spouting a load of bull. I have never heard of such an alliance before." A dark look shines in her eye before it vanishes. "Trust me, I would know."

The small kappa takes her own hat off and holds it in front of her while she stares at Marisa. "It's not something the kappa have made a big fuss out of. We just keep our heads down and help humans when we can, but we don't go out of our way to draw attention to ourselves." Glancing away from the witch, the kappa bites her lip. "We like a nice quiet life. We don't want to get caught up in the bigger happenings."

"Yet, you're coming to help me." Marisa crosses her arms, staring at her. "Still, I wish you kappa would make _some_ kind of deal out of it. There aren't many youkai attacks left after Reimu and I got into business, but there are enough. Just the thought that other youkai, especially the shirikodama-extractors, were against the attacks."

Blushing heavily, Nitori looks away pointedly, her voice even smaller than before. "…We don't do that any more. We've gotten better…"

Shrugging it off, Marisa just reaches over and ruffles the girl's hair a bit. "Don't worry about it. Past is past. Just don't be extracting anything from me, and I won't have to spark ya. That sound like a good deal?"

Nervously, the kappa looks back up at Marisa, giving her a small grin. "I suppose so. I've heard real bad things about that spark. I'm just glad you never used it on me."

At that, both magicians shot glares at the kappa before Alice breaks back into the conversation. "You find yourself very fortunate for never having that happen to you. Marisa always had quite the itchy trigger finger. So many times she's shot myself with that hakkero…"

"I always had a good reason to, though!" Grinning widely, Marisa poked the floating doll in the side. "Who attacks me with dolls that use cleavers and lances all the time, hrm?"

"Oh shut up." Shaking her head, Patchouli finally raises her eyes from the book. "That is enough of that debate for now. We need to hurry and have Marisa heading out before _something_ happens. And to do that, we must make sure she knows how we are assisting her."

Reaching down below the table, Patchouli removes a rather familiar crystal and sets it on the wooden surface. The moment the crystal touches the table, it begins to float above it, its colors slowly shifting. Marisa's eyes began to shine as she stares at the crystal, but Patchouli bats away her greedy hand. "This is not one of my Philosopher's Stones, Marisa. Do not get any funny ideas."

Sighing, she waved at the floating crystal, making it fly over towards Marisa. "This is a copy, which instead contains the power of five of the elements. It is enchanted so that it will assist you in any magic you do fire."

"Well, that's great!" Staring at the crystal as it floats about her head, the witch grins back at the magician. "Still, I'm not too sure how much help it will be. My lasers are enough to cook anyone that gets in my way."

"That's the _problem_, Marisa." Resting her head on her chin, Alice watches her human friend for a moment. "You're _good_ at taking out what is in front of you, but what if you have anything that refuses to stay in front of your hakkero? You'd barely get a shot on them unless they do something stupid or unless you're lucky."

Sighing, Marisa removes the hakkero, placing it on the table as she does. "That's what a Master Spark is for, after all! No better way to clear a room."

"But you only have so many of those, Marisa. And you can't use them for every situation." Thumbing the pages in her book, Patchouli slowly shakes her head at the younger thief. "This way, though, you will be able to attack those who are not your primary focus. Also, you can give orders to the crystal, making it shift its attack pattern however you may desire."

"That'll work well, I suppose. Still, I think my lasers are better." Retrieving her hakkero from the table, Marisa places it back in her pocket. "At least I don't use any homing attacks like _some_ people. I could never live with myself if I did."

"About that…" Turning to her companion, Patchouli waves her forward to speak. "Alice was going to send something with you."

"Indeed." Looking towards the doll at her side, Alice puts her hand on the back of its neck. After a few seconds, the doll twitches, before raising its head and opens its eyes. "I'm sending one of my dolls with you. She's semi-autonomous, and will fire back at anything that fires at you."

Marisa stares at the doll for a few seconds before looking back at Alice. "Isn't that Shanghai? Why are you sending her with me? And when did you make an autonomous doll? You've been trying for as long as I know…"

Shaking her head back at the girl, a small sigh leaves Alice's mouth. "She isn't autonomous. The spell is not dissimilar to the one cast upon Patchouli's crystal. She is very limited on what she can do." A frown came over her face as the doll also floats forward towards Marisa. "And this is not Shanghai. It is but a copy that I've made explicitly for this purpose. I am hoping that one so new will not dislike the evil magic as much as the older ones."

"However…" Alice leveled a steady glance on Marisa as she did. "I intend to study the doll once she is back. So make _sure_ that she returns in one piece. Agreed?"

"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha Alice. Don't worry. Your doll isn't gonna have a scratch on her!" Chuckling, Marisa looks back at Patchouli. "And what about the crystal?"

The youkai that was currently reading a book did not look up. "I have no need for it to be returned, as I can create many others. The magic will exhaust itself in a week." Pausing for a moment, she looks back up at Marisa. "Consider it your payment. I will be… _impressed_, should you manage to replicate it before it vanishes."

Those two statements bring a wide smile to Marisa's face. "Good! That sounds like an excellent bargain. I've been trying to get my hand on one of those crystals for _years…_" Ignoring the grin that was starting to grow on Patchouli's face, Marisa suddenly turns to the kappa. "So, what are you doing here?"

Nearly jumping in the air at being suddenly addressed, the kappa gives everyone a nervous grin. "Well, part of the reason was so I could assist in keeping in contact with you." Nervously, she pulls a large metallic object out of her backpack, before pulling something much smaller along with it. "I've a microphone and a headset that should allow you to keep in contact with the rest of us, Marisa."

Picking up the larger metal object, Marisa gapes at how heavy it is. "I don't know how you expect me to keep this with me on the way down there, Nitori. I can barely pick it up _now_."

The kappa giggles nervously before picking up the smaller object. "That one stays here, Marisa. That microphone is what we'll be using. You need to wear this, instead. It will allow us to keep in contact, and assist you in case you need it." Seeing that the girl is having trouble understanding what she meant, Nitori helps her pull the headset over her ear. "See? Now you can talk to us, and we can hear you."

"You can?" "You can?" Marisa's eyes widen as her voice echoes out of the speaker on the base of the microphone. "Well, that's nifty. Is this some sort of technological variation on Reimu's balls?"

Alice raises a hand to cover a giggle while Nitori responds. "Similar. But they're not completely technological. Since you're going underground, I had to use a bit of magic to amplify the signal, so that it can penetrate the rock." Her face falls as she speaks, looking ashamed all of a sudden. "I may be a good engineer, but I'm not _that_ good…"

"Eh, you're competing with ancient magical artifacts. I think you're doing good enough!" Laughing to herself, Marisa eyes the backpack for a moment. "Any other goodies that you've got in there? Just in case they could help me out even a wee bit. I'm not too proud to not accept help where I can take it."

Grinning a bit, the kappa pulls another odd device out of her backpack. "Just something I threw together in the last bit…" Looking about, Nitori eventually finds the broom that Marisa rode in on. "May I see that for a moment?"

"Sure, I suppose." Tilting her head to the side, Marisa watches the kappa take the broom and affix her strange device to the top of the bristles. "What is it that you're doing to it?"

"To put it simply?" The kappa glances up at the human for a second, before turning back down to her work. "I'm installing a missile minifacturing unit to the base of your broom. It will expel missile out sideways, which will then fire straight forward and at the target your broom is pointed at."

Not quite understanding what the kappa meant, Marisa began to frown. "I don't know how useful that will be. I don't do all of my fighting with my broom pointed straight at the enemy."

"Well, there is something else." Tapping the edge of the case, Nitori glances back up at Marisa. "The missiles aren't homing, as they are dumb fired. I have not been able to create a minifacturing device that can create homing missiles quickly or efficiently enough to be feasible. However, the unit itself has a sensor that detects the brightest light source, and will fire directly at that as long as the features is active."

"Interesting…" Tapping her chin, Marisa examines the device with renewed intrigue. "So, anything my lasers hit will be what it shoots at? But you are _sure_ that it isn't homing?"

Nitori nods, looking quite sad at the thought. "They aren't. I _wanted_ to make the warheads thermobaric, but those would have been too strong. And you might have gotten hurt." A mischievous grin comes over the girl's face as she muses over her past plans. "They wouldn't let me use one thermobaric to clear out the top of the underground, though."

"A what now? What is that supposed to be…"

Slamming her book shut, Patchouli shoots Marisa a hard look. "A bomb designed to clear out cave systems. I do not believe that we would make any friends by using such a device. After all, the culprits are likely deep underground, and might not even be affected by the blast."

At her second word, Marisa looks at Nitori with shining eyes. "A big bomb? Like that? Can I have one?"

"No, Marisa." Alice breaks into the conversation before Nitori can answer. "You already have _one_ sentient ballistic missile. I'd shiver at the thought of you having something _else_ that is nearly as powerful."

"Wait wait wait." Nitori began to return Marisa's gaze, a grin spreading on her face. "A sentient _missile_? You have one of those?" At Marisa's nod, she suddenly looks away, her voice becoming tiny. "Can I… take a look at it?"

"Course you can!" Grinning, Marisa slaps the kappa on the back. "Once we're done, I'll let you take a look. She's probably a bit ornery from not being used, though. Fair warning and all that."

Turning back to the other two, Marisa finally returns her hat to her head while retrieving her broom from the now ecstatic kappa. "Now, anything else that I need from you three? Or shall I just go ahead and solve your problem for you?"

The two magicians sigh in unison before they both shake their heads. "Nothing at all, Marisa. Just take good care of my doll. Even if she isn't Shanghai…"

"Oh, don't you worry about that, Alice. She's in good hands." Chuckling, Marisa straddled the broom before floating into the air. "Bit odd of a balance, but it shouldn't take long to adjust."

"Do take care, Marisa." Not even looking up at her, Patchouli had returned to a book, this one different than the one from earlier. "I would be… _annoyed_ if the one who took out a certain rat was not one of the cats in this house."

Smiling at the magician of the library, Marisa shakes her head. "Thanks, you old girl. I'll be certain to make sure that I am not taken out." Finally, she turns to the last of the three. "Now, they said that you were here _mainly_ because of what you knew of those underground?"

"Yes." Nitori nods her head, having returned her cap to rest upon her hair sometime when Marisa was not looking. "I do not know exactly what the underground is like, but I have a good knowledge of who is ther—" Cutting her off before she can go any farther, Marisa swings the kappa to sit behind her on her broom.

"Well, if that's the case, best to take you with me, aye?" Laughing to herself, she began to rise higher into the air. "I'll see you two later! Make sure that Sakuya has my favorite tea when I do, Patchy!"

Alarmed at her actions, Alice leaps to her feet while the other magician merely shakes her head in disgust. "Marisa! You know you can't take another youkai into the underground!"

"You forgot who you're talking to, Alice." Grinning proudly, Marisa began to swoop over the room, heading to the door as Nitori clings to her. "I'm Marisa Kirisame! I make my own rules, and blast aside those I don't like. Catch ya later!" With that, the magician flies out of the doors to the old, musty library, heading straight for the entrance to the old mansion.

* * *

Once outside, Nitori finally regains her breath and conquers her nervousness enough to ask, "Why did you do that, Marisa? You know that I can't come with you."

The magician just grins over her shoulder as she speeds across the landscape. "Who says you can't? Others who cannot be named?" Chuckling to herself, she turns back around, watching where she was flying. "If someone makes a fuss, just blame it on the stupid human that didn't know any better."

"I can't do that. They'll know it's not the truth." Frowning, Nitori just shook her head. "Besides, there are things down there that I'd have no chance against. They were exiled down there for a reason."

"Now, why did no one tell me that they were exiled?" Her jovial voice bouncing along the wind to the girl's ears, Marisa's grin widens further. "Oh well. If it gets too bad, let me handle it, alright? That's what I do for a living, after all." Her laughter eventually faded, her expression darkening as she kept looking away. "Now, I _do_ have my own reasons though, so don't think I'm doing this on a lark."

Nitori stares at the back of the witch's head, leaning around the blonde hair that whips at her face. "Here I thought that you…" Biting her lip, she glances down at the forest that is speeding below them before looking back at Marisa. "Why are you doing this?"

Gruffly, the magician shrugs her shoulders. "I gotta see how good of an ally that kappa and humans are, don't I? What better way to test it than under fire?"

Freezing in place, the kappa begins to shake. "Marisa, what if something happens down there? I'm not a brave person…" Under her breath, she continues in that tiny voice of hers, unheard in the wind surrounding them. "I'm a coward…"

"No, you're not." Nitori's head snaps up to look at the eyes of the human as Marisa smiles at her. "You're still here. How easy would it be for you to turn on your optical camouflage and slip away unseen? I couldn't find you in that case." Suddenly reminded of that option, one of Nitori's hands begins to approach her belt, where it lay waiting to be activated. "But you would have done that if you wanted out, so you're not a coward. Maybe scared and frightened, but not a coward."

After a few moments, the hand drops away, instead returning to grip on Marisa's waist. "If you say so… But I still think that I am."

"Then it's up to me to prove you wrong, eh?" Still smiling, Marisa turns back around to watch where she was flying. "But most of all, I need you to tell me where the entrance to the underground is. Patchy and Alice _did _forget to mention that one important fact…"

* * *

A/N Yeah, I know, it's been a while since I posted anything here. However, I have been a bit busier than usual, plus I have another project going on. (one that I've been planning off and on since May) That, and I've been doing something in my free time that _isn't_ Touhou related, and I can only do too many things at once.

However, I did want to write this, as it is one of the few things that I can call one of my favorite ships. Mostly because I wanted a little Nitori and Marisa. Yes, I may be missing a few things from canon, especially Post-Mysticism, but I am trying to stay back with the info from MoF and SA. Overall, though, this is just a pure Marisa and Nitori start, and if you don't like… Oh well.

Anywho, that's all for now. Until next time!


	8. The Fall of Japan

The Fall of Japan

Summary: An alternate history of the invasion of Japan in the year 1600. Just me messing around in EU3 and becoming inspired.

Chapter Rating: T

* * *

They came early in the dawn.

I was not there at the start. For years, decades, _centuries_ I had hidden away from my fellow men. Ashamed at what I had become, and mad from the realization that there was no escape from the prison I had entered into. Lost in the woods and mountains, I did not realize the day that the island that I called home had come under attack.

It was something quiet and sudden, lancing towards the heart of our land with a speed unimagined. From what little I do know, a declaration of war was issued from a far away country. It was laughed off… It was laughed off until a few days later, when the first of thousands of men poured off of huge ships and onto our shores.

A month later, the entirety of Kyushu had fallen. The army was not massive like the Horde's had been, nor was it as large as what the Chinese could muster across the sea. However, they used weapons we could only dream of. Pikes and spears that could fire lead straight through our ranks, all with much more force and with ease that is unimaginable to our archers. They walked over the armies of Minamoto like they were nothing.

It was then that I heard what had happened. Devils from across the sea had come to invade our land. As bad as the youkai, they were. Worse, even. While the youkai's desire for humans could be sated, and they were capable of being tricked or beaten off, there was nothing that we could do to stop the tide of men in blue coats.

Not that I didn't try. Their leader, in some fit of madness, decided to split up their armies to take both Shikoku and the southern half of Honshu at the same time. It did have its merits, as the armies of the Emperor, along with both Taira and Fujiwara, could have slipped by on one flank in order to recapture the southernmost island. However… Not a thing was to be done. Even numerically superior armies were beaten back by their forces. There was nothing we could do.

That is when I did my best to step in. Slipping behind the lines, I did my best to rally the humans about me. Although they were very skeptical, with some going so far as to chase me out and call me another youkai, I was able to persuade enough. I rallied men out in order to burn out the occupying armies from the countryside.

But it was all for naught. My fires, albeit strong, were weaker than they are now. Of course, that shouldn't have mattered against humans with no more than wool to protect their bodies. The _discipline_ of these troops, though… Even after their army had been split five or six times over to occupy the lands about the Emperor himself, they still managed to face me head on. Fires as hot as those burning in hell didn't cause them to flinch, even when the flames I cast cut down their allies beside them.

I may be immortal, but I can still die. The peasants that I had tried to enlist all fell before their fire, or died at the end of the spears. When I awakened once more, alive and well… I was the only one left.

Still, I could not rest. While I may have abandoned the company of men long ago, I still was a nobleman's daughter. I still had that lingering sense of duty, even if the duty I performed should have been left to a son. It didn't matter though. Not at all.

Months passed, and the armies continued to advance. Past the lands of the Minamoto and the Emperor's Palace, they fell onto the lands of Taira… and the lands of Fujiwara. Their men were regrouped and reinforced by the stream of boats that constantly arrived from the east. With each sun that rose high, more and more spilled into our lands. Fortifying the towns, patrolling to ensure that there were no more acts of rebellion.

Not that it stopped me. I tried again and again to fight back, but I could garner no help. Even, once or twice, I went to youkai. Monsters they may be, but couldn't they see that the foreign devils that were besieging our land were a threat even to them?

It didn't work. Such a thing would never work. The oni on the mountains high were not afraid, and the youkai under them did not have their say. Even the goddesses I could find would not help, saying that this has already been written, and to fight against it was foolishness.

Dammit if I'm not foolish. So I tried again and again to strike at their armies. Behind the lines, and in their faces. None of it mattered. While I may have killed ten or twenty, I ended up being killed myself. Any men that fought by my side were slaughtered just as well.

They eventually did grow wise. I was recognized, and they knew whom I was. So, the fifth time I led an assault, I woke up, not alone in a field, surrounded by the bodies of my fellow men.

I awoke in a cage, my hands bound and staring at the devil that was leading this invasion.

* * *

"So, this is the peasant who has been so much trouble to my armies?" The devil in question crossed her arms, looking down at the seated girl. "Or, perhaps not a peasant. It's already been a year since I've been here. It's easy to tell that you were not always wearing the pants that a man does. However, that killer instinct… That's something that cannot be taught."

Shaking in her bonds, the girl growls and tries to summon a flame to cut the rope. "I'm sure you would know, you devil. I knew that it had to be someone like you pulling the strings for this damned invasion."

Clucking her tongue, the devil shakes her head. "Of course not. I am not the one who deigned that this poor country was the next to be added to the Kingdom. However, I may certainly have encouraged it. We have known about the wealth of the Orient for over a century. It was merely time that we took advantage of it directly."

"That may be an eloquent way to put it, but you still invaded my homeland. You slaughtered the people who were living here." Huffing to herself, the girl looks down, still trying to burn off her bonds. "Almost as bad as that damn moon bitch…"

That was enough to put a light in the eyes of the devil. "So, it is you. I had wondered… Although, it had been quite a while. After all of these centuries, even your noble lineage would look common compared to those who rule your daimyo now." Grinning widely, the devil leans closer, placing a finger under the tip of the girl's chin. "Isn't that right, Fujiwara no Mokou?"

The girl with white hair merely growled softly, slumping in her seat as she gave up trying to escape. "What is it you want with me, devil? You don't smell like any youkai that I've met."

"Perhaps I merely plan to eat you. After all, an immortal girl like yourself would make an excellent source of food." The devil licked her lips before sighing dramatically. "But then, even the exotic would become stale. Instead, I have a proposition for you. It is about the future of these isles… and what you can do to save what little autonomy they may have left."

Mokou narrowed her eyes at the devil. "What proposition could that be? You have control of our entire land. Why not annex it?"

"Simple. We don't desire it all." Removing a scroll of parchment from a nearby table, she holds it up and places one finger with a scarlet claw on the front. "We have our tribute of earth and water already. The land that we desire is merely this. This island that you call Honshu… Everything from your Mino prefecture to the west shall be ours. The rest… Well, that depends on what you do."

"So, instead of taking all of it, you merely taking nearly a fifth of the lands? Why should I care?"

"You shouldn't. None of these are Fujiwara lands. At least, none of them at this point. You may have had claims on these at one point in time… But those were ancient times." Chuckling softly, the devil rolled the scroll up and places it to the side. "But first, let me explain how this Kingdom works."

Walking to the side, she took a wooden stool that was hidden on the side of the room. Delicately placing it in front of Mokou, she lifted her skirt and took a seat. "Now, the Kingdom does not desire complete conquest. It merely wishes the obedience of those that it conquers. In return for this autonomy, a small tax is taken and a loyalty is requested in all of the Kingdom's wars."

"And if I don't take this deal you're offering me?"

The devil's mouth spread wide. "You are simply taken and your undesired land would be given to another, more willing state. I am sure there would be many who would love such a thing. After all, did you not notice when the Sultanate of Oman took the islands near Okinawa? Surely that would have put you on notice, if you had bothered to pay attention."

Sighing dramatically, she leaned forward. "You see, it is a position that we share. I was born the day that my country fell. Not even a decade and a half later, I died and was given the life that you see now. But this Kingdom… They reward those who help themselves. However else could a single island end up controlling all of the Mediterranean? Their leaders took an opportunity, and the Kingdom rewarded them."

The grin widened further as she met Mokou's eyes with ones that were blood red. "And how else could a citadel on the side of a mountain expand far enough to take over the entirety of Guyenne, Toulouse, and Navarra? In the next fifty years, I expect the Kingdom of Aragon to be added to our possessions. With that, we shall become one of the strongest of the Kingdom's vassals. That is the fate that I have seen, and that is how it will be."

Stricken at how eager that devil was, Mokou couldn't help but to snort under her breath. "It sounds as if you are content to be the vassal. Do you enjoy staying on bended knee to your superior?"

"It makes my country stronger. And if anything would happen to the Kingdom… Should it fall apart, my country would remain strong. _My_ domain would stay strong." Grinning once more, the devil rises to her feet. "I am Remilia Scarlet. I am proud, but I am not so proud as to ignore an opportunity as I see fit. I help myself... and the Kingdom helps me. If you help yourself… The Kingdom will help you."

Looking down, Mokou shook her head. "What choice do I have? You propose giving up the lands from Nagato to Mino, and for what?"

"Complete dominion over the rest of Japan. The emperor will remain for now, but his empire is gone. The shogunate was disbanded a weak ago, and every one of your daimyos is fending for themselves." Looking down at the girl, Remilia shoots her a devilish smile. "We would have trouble imposing a Duke here as a ruler, as the people would reject it. So, what I am proposing is special… Something that is different than the norm."

At Mokou's silence, she continued. "A new Empire shall be created in this land of the rising sun. Cast out the old emperor, who could sit aside and do nothing to protect his lands." Remilia fixed her eyes on Mokou's, ensuring that she understood. Instead, we shall have a new emp_ress_. One who has no desire to bow at the knees of the challengers from the east. An immortal lady of the fire, who has direct ties to one of the Fujiwara's rulers from their glory days."

Snapping her eyes away from the weighty glare, Mokou shook her head. "What makes you think I would accept such a thing? I haven't been around humans for centuries. I wouldn't remember the slightest thing about how the court functions."

"That won't matter. In the end, you are my choice. It is either that, or I get myself a delightful new bloodsack while I search for a maid." Grinning at her, Remilia held forward a hand. "So, will you accept the deal?"

"Looks like I have no choice." Sighing, Mokou wondered whether or not Remilia realized that she was still bound. The moment she moved her hand to shake the devil's, though, she found that there was nothing holding her back. "I will kill you for this, Remilia Scarlet."

"You will try, Empress Mokou. You will try." Laughing softly, Remilia helped her to her feet. "All is as I have foreseen. No one can resist the decrees of fate."

"I do this not for fate, or for your precious Kingdom. I am doing this for what is left of my father's name."

"Just as I do this for Avignon, dear Empress. But do remember… Serving yourself and your country sometimes means serving the Kingdom. But you will learn in time, I will imagine. You will learn."

* * *

That was the day that the deal was settled. So as not to enrage the inhabitants, only a little land was taken at first. A number of my land's old provinces were retaken, while they got part of their deal. However, the wars that I am ashamed to admit that I participated in soon resulted in three states left in Japan. The Kingdom in western Honshu, the emperor still relegated to his small tract of land in the center, and the Empire of Fujiwara taking the remainder of the land.

It didn't take long to realize that the devil had taken up residence in this new land as its governor. Whether it was by her word, or the paranoia of the King, she had been kept here to keep both her new lands and myself under control.

The capitol of this new dominion may have been in Aki, but the devil took up residence in Nagato, stolen away from Minamoto. Renamed after herself, the district of Remilia grew wealthy and strong compared to the majority of the island.

There is more to this story, there always is. How the Kingdom conquered Greater Korea in just as much time as they took Japan. How they brought the treacherous Ming to their heels, as they had broken their compacts with the Kingdom and invoked their wrath. All the while, I found myself with the unbridled idiots that served as nobility these days.

This Kingdom has humiliated me by doing this. I am no empress. I am no noble. And yet, here I am, serving at the whim of one of their dogs. One of these days, though, we will have our revenge.

If I must be shackled in this way, I will lead our men to victory. We will expand as far as we can, and we will attack. We will crush this Kingdom of Wales under our boot, fate or not. They may be strong, but I am immortal. I have waited eight hundred years for one piece of vengeance already.

I can wait a little longer.

* * *

A/N Yeah, it's been a while. I've spent most of my free time in EU3, trying to conquer the world (or a reasonable portion) with Wales. Well, I got to Japan and I had the idea to write this.


	9. Imperfect Origins

Imperfect Origins

Summary: Two women walk into an old shop, searching for something unique that this world seems to lack. Originally written for THP's Writeathon back in late September/early October.

Chapter Rating: T

* * *

The bell on the shop's door chimed softly as a woman entered a shop, her tall form clad in red robes followed by a shorter blonde girl. Calmly, the taller of the two walked up to the register, where sat a young man with dark hair, his head resting on the counter. The boy snored softly as she approached, unaware of anything that was happening outside of his dreams. She cleared her throat in an attempt to wake him, once it was apparent that he would not wake on his own.

After a few seconds and a second attempt, the gangly boy gave a start, snoring loudly as he finally came to. "Whoze hier?" He blinked once more, rubbing his eyes as he tried to focus on the sight before him. "Who's here…" His voice trailed off as he stared at the two that were looking at him. "Customers? We have customers?"

The taller of the two smiled at his reaction. "Indeed. There was something about this shop that made me want to enter." Her companion made a comment under her breath, and was rewarded with a cuff to the head. "Please excuse her. She is rather cranky, as we have been very busy today."

The boy nodded eagerly, a smile coming to his face. "Then let me summon my master. He would be most eager to assist you." Turning towards the rear of the shop, he leapt to his feet, stumbling slightly over the stool he was sitting on. He yanked open the door, sticking his head inside. "Master! Master, we've some customers here!"

There was but silence in response for a few moments, before two hard boots hit the floor. They began to pound across the floor, before the owner of the boots flung open the door. "Boy, what is it that you are wanting me for? Isn't it your job to make the sale?"

Wincing at the accusation, he nodded slowly. "Yes, but these two sound like they've had a long day. I thought you might like making a sale personally." The boy paused, before explaining. "I've been busy with the project, after all. Not being a salesman."

A snort came out of the man's nose. "True, that you have. Quite the diligent apprentice. And it _has_ been quite a while since we've had a sale." Sighing again, he turned to the two customers. A smile almost crossed his face, but it immediately turned into a frown. "I hope that this is a joke. These two are much too young to even be thinking of purchasing one of our products."

The shorter of the two women glared back at the man for the accusation. "Just what kind of _product_ do you sell in this shop? I assure you, I am mature enough to handle it!"

Her words were stayed once more by the hand of her companion. "I do not believe that is what went through the proprietor's mind, Chiyuri. Instead, I believe he was worried that we might not have the means to pay." She turned her head back towards the owner of the shop. "Am I not correct, sir?"

Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the wall. "That's the gist of my problem. Isn't often that I have two kiddies your age coming in, all by themselves."

Smiling slightly, she asked, "Then, what type of customers do you have coming into your establishment?"

"All sorts." Ticking off on his fingers, he began to list off. "Rich parents, who want a protector and guardian whom they can ensure will take care of their children. Government types, wanting sophisticated systems to protect their installations and personnel." He chuckled as he added another. "The occasional creep that wants someone to have _fun_, but for some reason can't get a girlfriend of his own."

That last example made both of the women frown. "You do not appear to be the type that would sell one of your creations to such seedy customers."

The man's shoulders drooped as a sigh passed his lips. "There is a difference between what one wants to do, and what one will do to keep his shop alive." Shaking off the thought, he looked closely at the two. "So, you are ensuring that you can pay?" At the taller girl's nod, he stood up straight, brushing himself off. "Very well. I suppose I can show you what we have here, Miss…?"

"Yumemi." Patiently, she waited for the man to walk over to one of the switches on the wall. "I noticed something different than any of the other shops we passed by. Something that was, I dare say, _magical_."

The words brought a smile to the man's face. "I'd hope so. Every one of our products is handmade, not churned out of some factory." Before he flipped the switch, though, he looked back at her. "You don't look like one of the natives. Neither does your companion, for that matter."

Brushing back a lock of her red hair, Yumemi replied, "My mother is said to have liked the name quite well. She was not concerned about whether or not it was appropriate considering my physical appearance."

Shrugging, he finally flipped the switch. "I'm in the business of physical appearances, so I notice these things. I suppose that it was her prerogative, though." As he spoke, the lights on the ceiling began to hum. The room began to come into focus as it did, revealing walls lined with curtains. "Boy, go and make yourself useful, and make sure we don't have another power surge. I'd hate to have to pay the utility company to reconnect us again."

"Yes, Master Garth." The boy slipped out back without another word, quietly shutting the door behind him as he left.

Yumemi smirked slightly as she approached the curtains. "Trouble with your power?"

The shop owner sighed again, nodding. "Yes. Energy isn't quite as cheap and plentiful as I'd prefer it. Especially when we spend so much fabricating new products. Not to mention how regulations are quite stringent on how one may patch in to the electrical grid."

Behind the two, the short girl laughed to herself. "Tell me about it. Why, the one time that I try to-"

"**Chiyuri.**" Coughing slightly, Yumemi glared at the short girl for a second, before turning back to the owner. "My apologies. My assistant does like to run her mouth at times. I suppose we could go ahead and move on to what you wish to show to us?"

He just gave her a curt nod. "That would be best. Alright, as to the ones that I currently have on display…" Trailing off, he pulled an old tasseled cord that had certainly seen better days, drawing the curtains and revealing his wares.

Lined up along the walls, each standing in their own recession, were what appeared to be women dressed in the uniform of a maid. All lined up with their hands folded and eyes shut, their heads bowed. Not a one looked alike, some being short and nearly the size of a child, while some were as tall as an adult. Some were chubbier than others; while one in particular was so thin it might have been a beanpole.

Yumemi looked at each of them in turn, a frown on her face as she examined them. "I must say that they are indeed interesting. I am to assume that you create all of them yourself?"

The owner nodded. "The ones on display are all ones that I have created by my own hand. Though, recently, my apprentice has been assisting me in the construction of more recent pieces." Raising a hand, he motioned to the first in line. "The most generic of my models. It is capable of every task that you might imagine a maid would be required to perform. From cleaning to cooking, from weeding to dressing, it is qualified to perform most mundane tasks."

Humming her acknowledgement, Yumemi gave no other signs of responding. After a few seconds of waiting, the shopkeeper cleared his throat, moving to the next product in line, noticeably taller and slightly bulkier than the rest. "This one here is built more for outdoor work, as you might be able to imagine. Its servos are capable of far greater force than a standard unit, and has a much larger power supply than the others."

The shorter blonde girl piped in from right behind him, almost making him jump. "Oh? What is it that you use here? Giant batteries in the torso?" Chiyuri's face curled into a wicked grin as she spoke, seemingly ready to pounce on whatever his response might be.

However, the shopkeeper seemed to agree with her derisive tone, raising his nose just slightly. "Perish the thought! I'll have you know that anything we make here is guaranteed to use a proper power source, not one that will easily wear out before a day is halfway over." Walking over, he spun one of the maids about on the dais it was currently occupying, revealing a nuclear hazard sign on the small of its back.

Before her companion could say anything else, Yumemi spoke over her. "That is certainly unorthodox. May I hazard to guess at which type of power you currently use in your creations?"

"You could, or I could just tell you." Turning the maid back around, he explained. "Standard is a fission powered reactor. Thorium is the current favored fuel, and is the standard power supply for all that are on display. Fusion reactors can be done, but are especially pricey to miniaturize. Unless I have a down payment, I would be unable to make one for you."

Yumemi waved him off, turning back to the line of maids. "That is fine. What I am interested in is currently in _stock_, not what you could possibly create. So please, if you could continue."

Without further pause, the man did as asked, frowning slightly as he did. "Very well." His hand moved down to indicate the third in line, which was far shorter than the rest, appearing to be a child. "This unit is favored for those that have children, and want a proper role model for them to aspire to. It is not nearly as adequate in performing its duties as any of the others, not the least of which is due to its stature, but due to much more complex emotional processing, it is able to effectively guilt children to assist it in any housework that is considered necessary."

Under her breath, Chiyuri muttered, "Sounds like a recipe for disaster right there."

Idly, the shopkeeper nodded. "It can be. Which is why I must give a disclaimer, and inform you that if you do purchase this model, I am not liable if any child or children you may have endures shock or mental scarring upon learning that their playmate is a robot."

Chiyuri gaped at him. "B-but I'm to young to be a mother!" She began to chant quietly, trying to block out the mental image. Stifling a laugh, Yumemi waved the owner on.

Huffing slightly at the lack of serious interest either were showing, he shook his head before continuing towards a matronly model. "The next unit is designed in a similar role, to care for children. Instead of doing it from the role of a fellow, she does it in the role as a favorite sitter." Pausing for a moment, he continued. "It is particularly skilled with treating children, although how spoiled children under her care become is adjustable. The only problems with this model tend to be that the parents are ignored in favor of the maid."

Taking a break from staring at the robots with a discerning eye, Yumemi turned towards him. "This must be quite a sad world if robots are needed to keep children in line."

Once again, he idly nodded in agreement. "Perhaps. Or would they simply hire a regular maid to assist? Maybe they would they simply leave their children alone, to fend for themselves?" He shrugged. "I am by far from the only that creates them. There are simply few that take such pride in their work."

Yumemi nodded shortly. "I had seen some advertisements. Mass produced by the hundreds as if they were appliances, each one identical to the last."

"Exactly." He stared at the last lining the wall. This one was similar to the first, but had a much sharper lines, its mouth frowning as it stood there. "They all are slightly different. All are unique." Shaking his head, the shopkeeper returned to his sales pitch. "The last one is a basic self-defense model, purchased by both private and government entities. While the others are capable of protecting themselves, they are not designed to do so. Nor are they designed to handle weaponry, which these can."

Stepping forward, he pulled back the apron, showing slits for knives just under its folds. "Whatever they are programmed to protect, they do so earnestly, and with wild abandon. However, they are expensive. Especially as I have to construct them from a much stronger material than most others." Stepping back, he folded his hands above his own thick work apron, watching the two carefully. "So, is there anything that strikes your eye?"

Yumemi glanced at Chiyuri, before the two began to look at each of them in turn. The taller woman looked at each one carefully, an expert eye studying every single piece. The younger just seemed content to glance at each in turn, alternating views at the products with glares at him and Yumemi.

Stamping her foot in annoyance, Chiyuri whined at her companion. "C'mon, can we just go ahead and leave? There isn't anything here. I know it, you know it; can we just go on ahead and _leave_?"

Frowning at her, Yumemi immediately shook her head. "No, because I am sure that I read something while we were traveling, and it was in this shop." She turned her head towards the shopkeeper before asking, "Are there any more models that you have on hand, currently?"

"No. At least, no complete ones." He shrugged. "There are none that are here available for sale. The only other complete unit that we have is one that my apprentice has been working on. His first complete unit, to be more precise."

Ignoring her companion's groan, the elder lady smiled slightly. "Would it be permissible for us to see this other model? I believe it may be what we came here searching for."

Completely disgruntled at not being able to make a sale, he threw his hands up. "Sure. Why not. Maybe you'll like an amateur's work better; I don't know." Grumbling under his breath, he led them into the back room, holding open the door for the two of them automatically as they entered inside.

The back room was a much greater mess than the nearly barren store could have been, covered with various parts everywhere. At a few stations were half completed robots, their metal frames grinning menacingly without their skin. Automatically, Chiyuri stepped a bit closer to her companion as they passed one unit that was not much more than a head. While they walked by, it slowly rotated, fixing them the whole time with glowing red eyes. "A-are they awake?"

Her question earned her a disappointed frown from the taller girl, who answered, "I imagine not. They are probably tied into a central mainframe, so they can be tested without activating the onboard central processor." She gave the girl a push, hurrying up as she started to lag. "You shouldn't act in such a way, though. They're just unfinished robots."

Chiyuri gulped. "But they're creepy when you seem them like this…"

Pinching her nose, Yumemi dragged the girl out of there. "And that is why I wish the educational system would bother actually showing them how we create products, not just stylized process in a slideshow. Sometimes, I hate self-righteous bureaucrats."

Ignoring the byplay, the shopkeeper walked into the next room, the two still behind him. "Boy, the two customers want to see your creation. See if it is what they're looking for, and not anything that actually is for sale."

Across the room, the gangly boy nearly hit his head on a lamp above him in his hurry to stand. "What did you say, master?" He tilted his head, looking at the owner of the store as his hands idly closed the access panel he had been working in. "Are you serious about this? They want to see her?"

"It is not a woman boy, it is a robot. Something we are selling." Sighing, the older man shook his head. "You shouldn't let yourself grow attached to them. But yes, they do want to see your first. Although, I'm not so sure if _they_ are serious."

Taking the slight in stride, Yumemi strode past the owner, walking up to the table the boy was using as his workstation. The body on it was that of yet another maid, lying face down. From the distance she was now at, she could see the small seams that were on the back of the neck, among other places. Still, she frowned the longer she looked at it. "What is so special about this one?"

There was silence for a few seconds as the apprentice waited for the master to speak. Eventually, he realized that he needed to respond, and so awkwardly cleared his throat. "Erm, well, nothing particularly, really. I wanted to make one was general as possible, and not have it focused on a specific task."

"A more difficult process than what a beginner should attempt." The owner shrugged as he butted into the conversation. "A focused model is much simpler to program, while a general-purpose unit must be competent in everything. Besides that, the only thing special is that odd color of hair he chose to stick on its head."

Blushing lightly, he shrugged. "It stands out, and it matches with its uniform." One of his hands idly leaned down, patting on its neck gently. "Sh- It is still untested, though. I am not sure how capable that it is until I run her through testing."

Yumemi nodded along, musing to herself. "I haven't come this far to come back empty-handed." Clearing her throat, she spoke louder. "Could you activate it? I'd like to meet it personally. Maybe when I hear it, I'll recognize what I'm searching for."

"If you are sure…" The boy's voice trailed off as excitement tinged it. Eager to see her impression of his work, he struggled to flip it onto its back. Reaching down to activate it, his eyes met his master's for a second before stopping. "Should I?"

Eyes narrowing, the older man looked back between the two women and his apprentice, before slowly nodding. "If they truly are interested, then you should do it."

Nodding to him, the young man pressed the switch on the nape of the robot's neck. The only thing that was heard for the next few seconds was deafening silence, as the boy waited with baited breath. After a few more seconds, the robot's eyes blinked open, as she immediately sat up, looking about. For a moment, hazard signs filled its pupils, before they faded away into a dark black. "I have been activated. What is needed of this unit?"

Yumemi stepped forward slightly. "I am Yumemi Okazaki. I am searching for something particular, and I believe that you may possess some of this _quantity._" Ignoring the bemused looks from the two men, she continued. "May I please know your name?"

Immediately, the robot answered, the voice fading to monotone. "Current technical designation is capital R backslash backslash forward slash forward slash vertical bar less-than sign zero capital T zero greater-than sign. Regular designation is Ruukoto. Current operating system is custom version zero point forty two point three." It paused, before it spoke again, the more human tone noticeable. "What is your inquiry?"

Behind the tall woman, Chiyuri was shaking her head, yanking on the back of the taller woman's robe. However, that did not stop Yumemi. "What I want to know is something that must be observed, not sought after with words. But I shall ask a few other questions that might help me discover it. First, what is it that you're capable of?"

The robot eyed her for a moment, before answering. "This unit is designed primarily for various low, medium, and high-intensity housework and basic protection. It is capable of low and medium-intensity industrial work, along with low-level commercial work. Not to mention this unit also has ample capabilities for protection that could be added on, as current power source is being used to only fifty nine percent of capacity."

"He wasn't kidding about general-purpose, that is certain." Chiyuri scampered forward, looking up at the robot. "Are you_capable_ of fulfilling your design specs?"

Hesitating for a second, Ruukoto ground out an answer. "…Unknown at current time. Dedicated tests have not been performed by creator, and cannot assess capabilities until such is accomplished." The robot looked away, not meeting their eyes. "This unit will try to perform to its utmost, in the case that active duty is necessary before trials can be run."

Staring at it for a few seconds, Yumemi began to shake her head. "I don't know. It seems like a standard robot. And I was so sure, too."

Crossing her arms, Chiyuri walked back to stand next to her companion. "You were, and look where it landed us? We're empty handed now. The best chance you have is an imperfect at _best_ maid."

"Now, Chiyuri, don't be like…" The elder woman's eyes snapped back to the boy. "Is it true what my companion said? Is it likely to be that?"

"Hwah?" The young man just scratched his head for a second, before he realized what it was that she was asking him. "Oh, you're asking if sh- it isn't perfect? I'd imagine so. Especially as I haven't fine-tuned the operating system with data from testing. There are bound to be some bugs in the programming." His shoulders slumped a little bit as he finished. "I hope that its construction is perfect, though."

"Hrm." Again, she stared at the maid. "Something _im_perfect is quite rare where I originate from. Just that alone might make it valuable, even if it isn't what we were searching for."

The owner rolled his eyes at her words. "I shouldn't even be surprised at this point. Wanting a less-than-perfect product. Next thing I know, you'll be loosening the parts in it so that it grinds with every step."

"Master!" Coughing to cover his embarrassment, the boy turned back to Yumemi. "Are you serious about this? I wouldn't want to foist an unfinished product on you."

Staring at it for a moment more, Yumemi nodded. "I am sure." Ignoring yet another whining groan from next to her, she began to dig in her robes. "As for payment, I wish for you to see if this is adequate." Pausing, she asked, "What is your name, by the way? I never did bother to ask."

The gangly boy quickly dashed forward, not believing she actually wanted it. "I am Erich. The last name doesn't matter at the moment, considering my terms of employment."

"Indeed. Well then, Erich," she began saying while pulling out a bundle of papers, "You seem like a smart boy. I want you to take a look at this."

Gingerly, he took the papers from her hand. "What is this?" Flipping through the pages, he frowned, seeing it wasn't a notice of payment or a deed to some property. However, as he continued to read deeper, his eyes widened. "What is this that you are offering me, Miss Okazaki? This can't be possible."

Yumemi nodded, her smile growing somewhat manic at the look on his face. "Oh, trust me, it is possible. Have Ruukoto look at it. I am sure it can confirm that my math is correct."

Not responding, Erich did as suggested, handing page after page to the robot as he finished it. The robot scanned every page briefly, eating through the paper faster than the boy could finish them. Once it had managed to finish, Ruukoto fixed the two with a steely glare. "Nothing is out of place. But certain processes that you suggested have not yet been invented. Others are still in the prototype stage currently, only possible in laboratories. How is this unit worth that much in the way of knowledge?"

Nodding along with it, he looked at the women suspiciously. "What is it that you want? If you desired, you could go out and sell it, making a fortune if it turns out to be true. You could say that you _created_ it."

Shrugging, the tall woman replied, "It is easy to say that one creates something, when the knowledge for the act of making it simply doesn't exist where you are currently located." Slowly, she reached for the papers. "But if you do not want them, I can easily take them back-"

"No!" Erich shouted at the girls, blocking her attempt to fetch the papers. "But I am still suspicious. What could your motive be, to let me have this?"

After giving it a few seconds of thought, Yumemi eventually replied. "For as much as I am willing to tell, it is but an experiment I am conducting." She chuckled softly. "I am aware as to what happens if I claim to create it in my name, so I shall instead try something different."

Walking in front of her taller companion, Chiyuri shook her head. "Listen, we haven't got all day, bub. So, tell me, do we have a deal, or is it not good enough?" She emphasized the last word by poking him in the chest, making sure that he was looking down at her.

Erich sighed, before closing his eyes. A minute passed as he though, one handle twitching as he mumbled under his breath. Eventually, he turned to the owner of the store. "Master, do you think this is a good deal?"

"No." The man gruffly shook his head. "I haven't even looked at it. But whatever you're holding, it sounds like it's a fool's hope." After a few more seconds, he shrugged. "But it's your work, not an ounce of mine. And it is up to _you_ to determine whether it's a good enough deal. If you get gypped out of what is yours, then tough luck is all you'll get from me."

The boy contemplated his decision for a few more seconds. His hands answered before his mouth did, clutching the papers to his chest. "Very well. I'll do it."

"Good answer." At that, Yumemi stepped back, looking at Ruukoto in the eye. "Coming now?"

The robot looked at Erich one last time. "Is that your decision, creator?"

His mouth opened to answer the robots question, but he suddenly stopped. Looking at Ruukoto, his breath hitched, forcing him to turn away. "Ruukoto… please designated the tall woman before you, Yumemi, as your new master."

"Affirmative." With that, Ruukoto turned its eyes to the two women, its eyes flashing the warning sign once again as its new orders were saved.

Eventually, Yumemi turned to both of the men. Bowing shortly, she said, "Many thanks to you both. Have a good day." Glancing at Ruukoto, she ordered, "Come along."

Immediately, the robot moved itself, silently standing up from the table she had been sitting on. With a minimalistic grace, it mechanically followed after the two. Before they departed completely, Erich managed to speak once more. "T-take care of her, will you?"

Glancing back, Yumemi smiled. "That I will. Goodbye." With that, the two left the store quickly, their new maid following dutifully behind.

* * *

Once they were out of earshot, Chiyuri asked, "So, what's the real purpose of handing over the data? I know you've more planned than just an experiment without a control group."

Yumemi grinned devilishly at her companion. "Simple. Since our targets have eluded us completely, I am providing the means for the majority sentient population of this planet to become powerful enough to meet them head on. That way, they shall be more easily flushed from hiding, should they make a mistake."

"What are the odds that they'll make one though?" Chiyuri scratched her neck as she looked away. "They've managed to avoid us completely, only leaving traces. What if they disappear completely?"

"We will manage, Chiyuri. We have no chance of catching them as it is, so we must upset the equilibrium." Yumemi turned her head towards the sky, looking past the dirty skyscrapers into the deep blue. "Unless we find a more suitable target in our searches, we will return up the time stream, and see if we were successful."

"…Master?" The two turned, looking at the newly acquired robot they had been ignoring. "What is it that you are speaking of? A target that is in need of acquisition? Can this unit in some way assist?"

Yumemi stood there for a second, before laughing softly. "Not at the moment, Ruukoto. But there is a lot to catch you up on. There is so much knowledge you have yet to understand. And so many theories that the two of us are attempting to crack." Turning her eyes to Chiyuri, she asked, "Time to return to the ship?"

The shorter girl let out a long-suffering sigh of relief. _Yes_, thank you. I'm ready to be off of this planet. Much less this dimension." In response, Yumemi nodded, before grabbing Ruukoto's shoulder.

Not even a second later, they had disappeared from the street, as if they had never even been there.

* * *

Inside the building, Erich laid down the copy he had produced of the papers. Scribbles had covered all of the margins, the product of his frustrations and plans on what to do with his new knowledge.

One last time for the evening, he took the papers in his hand and began to study them again. Plans began to form in his mind as the title of the papers rang in his head. Schemes that would one day change the world, just as his customer had intended. His eyes crossed the title once more, scarcely believing what he possessed in his hands.

_Origin and Creation of Saboten Energy_

* * *

__A/N Alright, time for me to tell about the other projects I have been working on. One, which I finished recently, was _No Such Things As Fairytales _over at THP. I wanted to wait until I completed that story before telling about it, and since it has been done for nearly a month, I figure now is as good as ever to say as much. Also, I currently have _When Borders Meet Their End_ going on over there.

Those are the other reasons that updates have been slow here. I'll be getting back on these stories soon, as I am not in as great of a hurry to finish the second CYOA (and am not updating it as manically to do as such) so I hope I'll be able to split the time between both equitably.


	10. A Fairly Normal SDM Day

A Fairly Normal SDM Day

Summary: Barmy idea inspired by cactus juice, mushrooms, Merlin and Mystia's music, Lovegood, and other miscellany that was typed up in one sitting. (In other words, this is pure crack. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

Chapter Rating: T

* * *

Snapping her fingers, Remilia leaps up from her throne. "I do believe that I have had enough of this. Sakuya, accompany me down to the library. I have a request for her to carry out."

Sighing, the beleaguered maid sets down the duster as she wipes one of the one hundred and eight candles on the chandelier above Remilia's throne and folds her hands in front of her. "What is it this time, milady? Or do you plan to keep it a secret until you set out to fulfill it?"

"Hardly a secret, my dear Sakuya. It is time to address the most peturbing and persnickety problems that has bothered me for the longest time." Grinning maniacally, she hops down the steps and skips softly towards the exit to her grand hall, which she had been staring down vacantly for the last three hours and twenty seven minutes. "I had sudden inspiration during my long contemplation."

Skauya groans verbally under her breath, but dutifully accompanies her mistress along to set up whatever harebrained scheme she has concocted this time. "Do tell, milady. What is it this time? Another plan to win the shrine maiden's affection that involves forty two individual steps, a peanut butter jar, and a few yards of threaded nose hairs?"

"Nope! But thank you for reminding me of that, Sakuya. Never have my nostrils felt cleaner!" Ignoring the sudden gag that came from her maid, Remilia throws open the doors to the next hallway, smashing a fairy maid in the process. As said maid turns into a pile of dust next to her, she continues to stride along, as only a striding vampire can.

"Then what is it, milady? Another attempt to fortify your sister's room so that the witch cannot attempt to steal her precious thing?"

Freezing momentarily, the vampire spins around, her face set in a rictus. "What was that, Sakuya? It sounded like you implied that my sister had her Lævateinn shined in the warm velvet clamp of some stranger?"

Ignoring the fact that the witch was not exactly a stranger, or the small little point that she did not have Lævateinn to be shined in the first place, Sakuya tries to mollify her mistress. "Of course not, milady. After all, when you caught her in the act of it, you immediately separated them. One must protect the youngest mistress's innocence."

"Yes, yes, one must. After all, the sight of the two of them, going at it…" Remilia shudders, the memory passing in front of her like a dead leaf on the wind that had just been speared with a large wooden spear that is like a large wooden Lævateinn that isn't on fire. Warm velvet clamps not included. "Oh, the sheer noise on her face, the exertion as they went along, placing their hands on each other."

"Maybe the mushrooms that Marisa gave me were a bad idea for tea…" Clearing her throat, Sakuya pointedly speaks up, grabbing Remilia's attention. "Yes, we know that patty cake is such a terrible thing. After all, such activities are reserved for sisters?" Sakuya winces noticeably as Remilia throws open another door, thrusting the doorknob into the colorless plaster, shattering it. "And can you be a little more careful with the doorways, milady? You're merely making extra work for myself and the fairies."

Smiling innocently, Remilia begins skipping along once more. "Oh, I am sure that it is no trouble at all. The fairies around her are quite competent, don't you agree? In fact, in the next incident, I believe I shall have a whole horde of them serve as the fodder before I am faced. Just for a change of pace."

"…As you say, milady." Both of the two women ignored the fact that Remilia had accidentally killed at least three fairies in her jovial jaunt down the dimly lit and quite hazardous corridors of her mansion. That isn't counting the one rare male fairy she had accidentally cropped and neutered, nor the few that she merely had decapitated or crippled. "So, what is this plan that you have? Not going to experiment by supersaturating the air with the scarlet mist once more, so instead you would have a scarlet fog."

"Nah. That was pretty boring. I couldn't see, then. And how could I enjoy the darkness of the day when I can't even see in front of me? Besides, that doll that I had you kidnap didn't seem so fond of supersaturating on my orders. Her poison didn't seem much like alcohol, though."

_I could use some medicine for melancholy now, come to think of it._ "Of course not, milady. She may have been a doll, but she was not a killer doll. Such a thing wouldn't bother you." That, and she had maid a point to have Patchouli charm them with a spell to neuter the gas. It wouldn't do to have the mistress of the mansion falling over dead like a sack of fried beans. That would be an insult to the beans. "So, care to share?"

"Simple. I have grown tired of this small form. So, I shall have Patchouli alter me, so that instead of sucking blood, I shall instead suck essence!"

Groaning softly, Sakuya mutters under her breath. "…They were a _really_ bad idea." Grumbling quietly, she runs out of synonyms to describe her speech without pausing time to grab a synonym. Or a thesaurus. The mistress's actions were already getting to her mind. "Need I remind that you _feed_ on blood? Without it, you will grow weaker, and perhaps even die."

Clapping her hands together, she spins back around and faces Sakuya, having finally reached the main door. While doing so, one of her wings creates a strong enough wind to knock over and shatter a vase full of flowers that feed using melanisynthesis. "Of course it shan't be a problem! After all, one's essence is more important than blood. And by collecting essence, I shall change. And by changing, I shall grow! Finally, I shall not have to look up to even meet my little sister in the eye!"

"…You know, ever time you go and see her, she's usually flying. And shooting lots of bullets." Sakuya stops herself before trying to bog down the girl with logic, as her mistress had taken her response as an invitation to step inside the library and ignore her. Futility sets in as she dutifully follows after her mistress, wondering whether or not it would be worth it to lock her out of time until the effects of the concoction wore off.

By the time that Sakuya caught up, having cheated and frozen time as running in heels is never a good idea unless it is an emergency except in the few occasions that logic stops working, which is most of the time, she finds Remilia sitting on top of Patchouli's lap. The studious and solemn magician, who never was a human is also not a youkai thank you very much now shut up unless you want her to explain and take up too much space in this paragraph, ignores the vampire whom gazes up at her with the widest of eyes, as the current passage she is perusing has too many run-on sentences and if she loses her concentration she'll become very upset and have to nuke somebody.

Which, of course, would be terrible.

"Patchouli…" Pouting up at the purple magician, not a youkai, she begs her to listen. "Please listen… I want you to do something for me, bestest friend…"

"Not until the mushrooms are out of your system. …Actually, just stay right here. I am sure that the black-white is using you as a distraction to raid my library as we speak." The magician, not a youkai, attempts to get up, but fails as Remilia is gripping her arm as if her hand was a warm velvet clamp and Patchouli's arm is a Lævateinn. "…Remilia, let go, please. I must safeguard the library."

"Don't worry about the books, Patchouli. They just want to be free from this jail of wooden confines! Let them fly away! Far far away, into the small, mustier, danker confines of the thieving clanker!" Grinning at her rather awkward rhyme, she tugs on the magician, not a youkai. "I need it so that I suck essence instead of blood."

Patchouli gives Sakuya a tired look before the magician, not a youkai, turns back to the mad vampire. "Are you sure about that? Such a thing would kill you in the long run. Humans regrow blood. Essence regrows slower… Not that such a thing exists, minds you."

"It doesn't? But all I want to do is suck the height out of people! I'm tired of being the short one." Remilia pouts, before leaping off of Patchouli, backflipping over her and landing on an end table which immediately cracks. "Surely you can do such a thing as that! Aren't you the best magician around here?"

"…You really have gone off the deep end." Rolling her eyes, Patchouli stands up, still not leaving in a bit of fear at being caught in the terrifying, warm velvet clamp again. "But I believe I can do such a thing. But to do it, you need to come closer."

Remilia grins and steps forward, fluttering down onto the ground and scattering Patchouli's notes everywhere. All one thousand three hundred and fifty one and a sixth of a third. She had torn them into tiny pieces. "This close enough for you?"

Patchouli's eyebrow twitches. "Closer."

Remilia takes another step forward. "This close enough?"

"Closer."

Another step. "This close enough?

"_Closer_." After another step, Patchouli nods. "Now, open up your mouth."

Grinning, her mind whirling at length at what she planned to do once she had succeeded in her devious goal, aside from world domination as that one is always on the backburner but first she must feel she must dominate the shrine maiden first before she does that, she opens it up wide, showing off the brilliant white fangs which are the hallmark of virtually any carnivorous creature but in this case specifically a vampire.

After looking at them for a moment, Patchouli nods and rips them out with her hands.

Neither the maid or the magician, not a youkai, bother to help the vampire as she falls to the floor in an oddly quiet scream. Even though she seems to be in pain, and bleeding profusely, her good manners seem to finally keep in and keep her quiet while the grownups work. Tilting her head to the side curiously, Sakuya looks at the fangs. "What is it that you are planning on doing?"

"I am augmenting her fangs. Nothing so stupid as collecting essence. Seriously, who would talk like that? It's like borrowing books until you die." Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Patchouli begins to grumble about collecting the essences of cats and forcibly injecting them into random people to see how the results pan out. A moment later, the fangs begin to glow and become with odd polka dots. If one looks closely, they could see little happy faces on it. "There. Now just to stick them back in."

"…Make sure to put them in the right way. Milady would never let you hear the end of it if you stuck it in the wrong way."

"Oh, trust me, Sakuya. I'm an expert. After all, I'm Not a Youkai™." After giving the maid the proudest flat look that has ever existed, she grabs Remilia by the skull and jams the fangs back in. "Close enough."

Sighing, Sakuya kneels down next to her lady, before carefully opening her mouth. "…Backwards, Patchouli." Spinning the teeth around, she waits for Remilia to begin healing before speaking again. "How do you feel milady?"

"Like a brand new vampire! …Which isn't good, as I've just been turned. Did someone bite me?" Leaping up, Remilia begins to pat down her childish body, which elicits a small and rather creepy grin from the magician. …The one that isn't a youkai.

"No, milady. No one has bitten you." Taking a moment to freeze time and smack Patchouli, she appears once more from when she had left off. "But Patchouli finished your little request." Lacking anything else to say, she refrained from speaking. Which makes the sentence rather superfluous, but instead makes it flavor text. And everyone loves flavor text.

"She did? Thank you, Patchouli!" Smiling winningly at the magician, knocked out on the ground, she turns to Sakuya. "Now, whom shall I steal from first? I can't wait to be tall once again…"

"You were tall in the first place, milady?" A bit of dread begins to grow inside her, but not as if it were a tree. No, the dread grows, as if it were kudzu. Kudzu, on a tree. That grows fast. The tree, not the kudzu. Kudzu already grows fast. "But is there someone that doesn't need the height and is readily available? Or shall I borrow someone else for a little while?"

"Too much effort, and it will take too long." Sakuya doesn't bother to correct her, as such a thing would just cause another incident. Or a rather annoyed shrine maiden being tied up and beating everyone up again. Or both. "Instead, I have a better idea. One of the residents of the mansion would suit just well, at least for testing."

The dread grows even faster. Like something that grows faster than kudzu. "I shall go and requisition Meiling for a moment. I'm sure she won't mind."

"No, no, we need her to protect the gate. How else would we keep everything out of the mansion?" Again, Sakuya neglects to point out that hardly anything is kept out of the mansion anymore. "And I'd rather not steal anything from Patchouli… So it looks like you will have to do, Sakuya."

_I was afraid of that_. "If you say so, milady." Kneeling down, Sakuya hopes that this would be no worse than a normal feeding. "Just do try to not be messy. I've enough to clean up once we're done as is."

"When am I ever sloppy like that?" The Scarlet Devil just smiles before stepping forward to the girl. "Now, this shall be interesting…" Baring her fangs, she lowers her head, and pierce's the maid's flesh easily.

Sighing at the tiny pinpricks, Sakuya mutters. "…You missed, milady. An inch to your left." _You'd think she have learned by now_.

Pulling her fangs out, Remilia sinks them in and begins to drink. A funny feeling spreads over Sakuya as something is pulled out from her besides the sanguine solution. However, she still ignores it, mentally adding to the list of objects to clean as blood is splattered everywhere due to her mistress's meal. Currently, it stands at one hundred and fifty two items that need to be taken care of, give or take eight or so depending on whether you define them as one or two items.

Once she removes her head from Sakuya's supine neck, Remilia begins to laugh. "That felt good… I wonder if it'll work." Without further ado, the vampire slowly begins to rise upwards, her legs seemingly becoming longer as her skirt rises up. "I do believe it is…"

Sakuya ignores her, instead looking at herself as she slowly loses all that Remilia is gaining. "Of course…" Her small complaints are ignored by the vampire as her body shrinks, the maid outfit becoming too large for her. As she she shrinks, she has to step out of her shoes out of fear of sliding down and falling.

While Sakuya deflates, becoming swamped in a dress that should never swamp anyone, Remilia continues to grow. "Well, now this is interesting. I can finally see what is on top of this table that Patchouli is always using. At least, I don't have to stand on the chair anymore…" Even though she continues to laugh, Remilia suddenly stops as something grows tight. Glancing down, she speaks to Sakuya. "Since when do you have breasts, Sakuya?"

The maid in question is hardly able to hold the snort in as she stands there, trying to keep the dress from falling off completely. "I have always had them, milady." The unusually high tenor of her voice makes her wince, but she doesn't say anything else about it.

Curiously, Remilia tilted her head to the side even as she attempted to loosen her top. "What about that time we spent sunning on the beach of the lake?"

"Milady's attention seemed to be focused on the shrine maiden, who does seem to be lacking in the department." Sakuya declines to comment on the fact that she now lacks in it as well. Apparently, the department store had been stripped cleaned as if it were black Friday.

"…But what about that time we visited the netherworld?"

Sakuya's eye twitches slightly at the mention. "Milady, I acted not as your maid that day. I actually did not take the trip with you, so you must have confused me with the other silver-haired maiden."

"…How about that time when the oni first came around?"

The maid takes a moment to remember. "Oh, that is the puppeteer you are talking about. She is very fond of playing with people's shapes, including her own."

"…Then what about the time I remember spotting you run out of the showers?"

"Milady, you saw nothing of the sort." Sakuya smiles wanly, trying not to let herself become angry. "That was the tengu with outside technology. Apparently, she mysteriously decided to act as a streaker for some reason."

Remilia pauses for a second, looking down, and up, and down, and up, and repeating this a few times before finally looking up again. "I am certain I glimpsed nothing of the sort when we went to have our centennial physical at the lunar pharmacist's home."

Ears reddening, Sakuya is reminded of why she likes having her braids that block the view of said ears. "Eiren was merely taking her time examining me, milady. Do recall that we had to carry you home, as you seemed to find yourself entranced with the lunar rabbit's eyes."

"…And the time Patchouli dragged us along to retrieve her books from Marisa's?"

_So she's not a stranger anymore?_ "Blame that one on that fairy, Mistress. During that little incident, you grew an extra head, and were distracted by checking yourself."

"What about that newest shrine, full of the Buddhists… Or was it the Taoists? I never can remember for sure…"

"I have never been there milady. I was… busy, that day." _I wonder why that strange man paid me not to go? Details._ "Besides, a nue and a tanuki are known to frequent there. You shouldn't trust anything you see with your eyes."

"And just a few months ago, when we had our last party?"

A vein has now bulged out on Sakuya's forehead, and she is trying to keep her patience. "That is the shrine maiden once again, milady. Do you not remember that she had agreed to come as myself? …I spent a long time trying to nurse you back to health after you tried to get her to perform personal services that I do not provide."

"Oh. But I thought I saw you receive a shipment of padding once."

"One must ensure that her mistress's dress is properly lined, so that she doesn't feel too inadequate."

* * *

Later on that day, Sakuya gingerly tiptoes along the hallway nearly the library, taking care not to walk too quickly or bump into anything. Hefting up the relatively large vase in her hands, she places it on the pedestal where the one from earlier had broken. "That's ninety three down… Only so many more to go."

Sighing, she looks down and adjusts the tie on her apron. "Good thing that I got this from Mima when she decided to skip town on the Greykitsune. Poor Alice didn't need it anymore." Pausing, she glances around before sighing. "And too bad there is nobody here. I suppose I'll have to exposit to mys- YOW!"

Sakuya nearly leaps into the air as her hands reach to cover her bottom. Spinning around, she glances up to the one who had just slapped her in the buttocks. "Younger Mistress, I see you are out. Is there anything you require?"

"Not at all, little Sakuya!" The younger vampire smiles happily and leans down to eye-level. "Just wanted to say hi. But your butt feels like it's really sore…"

"…I spoke out of line, and the mistress decided to… punish me." Not that she should have deserved it, as it was by her request that Sakuya had begun padding. Remilia's dress, that is. But she did so hate it when the rather touchy subject was brought up. "I will recover soon enough."

"I am sure. So, where is big sister?" Flandre giggles to herself, causing Sakuya to glare at the two sights bouncing before her. While on a normal day the younger mistress put everyone in the mansion to shame, Sakuya's recent loss only seemed to amplify the jealousy.

"…She is away. Visiting the shrine maiden. I am sure you know why."

Flandre just grins at the thought. "Of course! So, you wanna bet how many pieces she'll be in when she gets back?"

"…No bets. Who knows what arbitrary number it would be this time." Gritting her teeth, Sakuya forces her eyes up. "Is there anything you need, young mistress?"

"Nope! Just letting you know that Marisa came by earlier. Thank you for distracting Patchouli so she could get in and steal the books before she visited me!"

Rictus fixed upon her face, Sakuya nods. "You are welcome. Anything else, young mistress?"

"Nope! Just don't tell sister she was here. She's kinda busy sleeping down in my room right now. I wore her out real good earlier, I tell you!"

The maid twitches. "I see. …And by what do you mean?"

"Well, she tells me she does the same thing with Alice, Patchouli, and Nitori all the time. Even all at once. But even that isn't enough to sate her. So she decided to ask me." Flandre giggles again, once more drawing Sakuya's green eyes to the objects of derision. "She said she always liked a challenge. Boy, did _I _rise to the challenge."

"…I-Indeed." Not knowing what to say, Sakuya keeps speaking. "But you never did say what she did…" Not that she wants to know, but ignorance is bliss. And knowing is like gouging your eyes out. Why would anyone want to know, then?

The younger vampire smirks. "Well… You might say that I shined my Lævateinn in a warm velvet clamp."

"Ah." The worry fades from Sakuya's face. "Pattycake. Alright then, I shan't tell. Have a good day, young mistress."

"You too, little Sakuya!" Smiling, Flandre stretches up to her full height and bounds away, causing the maid to watch it, missing the objects of her desire.

Turning back, Sakuya dusts off her childlike hands and begins walking along. "At least the day is mostly over… I shall be safe from anymore asinine ideas until then…" A smile grew on her face at the thought, finally being able to just let time flow normally and not pausing to scream more times than were necessary.

The smile froze the moment she saw the girl waiting for her at the end of the hallway. "Oh, Sakuya, I wanted to ask you something…"

* * *

A/N Well, it's about time that I posted something else. I haven't written much at all recently, so I decided to just write something to get back into the groove, hopefully.

Of course, it came out as if I had let Luna Lovegood take over my keyboard. At least that's what it felt like. Bout makes me want to try to write her into a story for the heck of it.

Ah well. It's a bloody mess is what this little oneshot is. Any questions about what the heck is going on here can be directed in the little box below this note. Unless the box is gone in the future, in which case please disregard the previous sentence.

Oh, and Mr. Muss? Been meaning to say this for a while. _For shame._


	11. Particularities of Hourai

Particularities of Hourai

Summary: Not all outsiders are lucky enough to make it to safety. The majority are killed before reaching the few havens in Gesnokyo. Another short story about one of those who was attacked before getting to a safe place.

Chapter Rating: T

* * *

Running. That's all he could do. Ever since he stumbled across this forest, that's all he had been doing. He didn't know why, but he could sense it. Somewhere, somehow, there was something stalking him. It wasn't a wolf, or some kind of bear or other animal. He could feel… It was more. It was hungry.

Even though his legs burned, he forced himself to continue running. There was no time to stop. There would never be time to stop from this… this thing that was chasing him. However, he eventually ran out of room to run. He had run past the trees and run past the bamboo, all the way until he came to the edge of a river.

Staring from the white water before looking back, he hesitated. What could he do to escape this creature? But before he could make a decision, it leapt from the shadows and struck, grabbing at his body.

The assault took no time to begin. Claws tore at his flesh, eliciting screams of pain that echoed over the night. Teeth sank into his shoulders and his neck as chunks of meat were torn from him, greedily eaten up by whatever animal this was. It was so fast, he couldn't do anything but lie on the ground limply as it tore at his body.

Until, minutes later, the creature stopped. It sensed something that was stalking it. A low growl escaped its throat, disappointed at having to give up a kill. He could not believe it, but the creature actually retreated into the forest, leaving him there on the riverbank, his body a ruin.

As life bled out of him, he swore he saw a short girl in a pink dress appear above him. He didn't even have enough energy to wave it off as a hallucination before he fell to the darkness, the only sound that of his lifeblood spilling from him.

* * *

"I'm not sure that we can do anything, Tewi. He's already lost most of his blood." Looking at the body that was lying on the table, Eiren adjusts her glasses and turns away. "The injuries are severe. Most of the organs have been torn apart. Ninety percent of his blood has been lost, and all of the bones in his torso have been shattered, save for the odd vertebrae. I'm barely keeping him alive, as is."

The rabbit she is speaking to nods sadly, her ears drooping even further than normal. "I had thought so. Poor bastard. Fell through the outside and straight into a hungry youkai. If we had gotten there sooner…"

"There still wouldn't have been much we could have done. …The best thing right now would be to ease his pain." Nodding to herself, Eiren walks over to the nearby cabinet, from which she retrieves a needle from a locked cabinet. "Maybe the Yama will find mercy on him, and give him a good reincarnation."

Before she can approach the body, though, another head pokes into the room. "Eiren, I had heard…" The intruder trails off as she spots the body, her mouth setting into a firm line. "So it was true. Another outsider?"

"Indeed. I was just about to do him a favor. He'll just be miserable until he finally dies. I can accelerate that for him." She shrugs after a second. "It'd just be like another fairy."

"Wait a moment. How much is damaged?" Curiously, the girl approaches, her long dress trailing on the ground while she produces a hand from her wide draping sleeves. "All of him? What remains undamaged?"

Sighing, Eiren glances down at the chart, refreshing her memory. "All of the damage was to the upper torso. …Intestines are intact, along with the liver, pancreas, and reproductive organs. Lungs are barely working, along with the heart. Everything else…"

"Hrm… The liver?" Tilting her head to the side, the girl gives Eiren a steady glance. "Remember what it was that we discussed, Eiren?"

"Princess, surely you are not suggesting…" Pausing, Eiren shakes her head. "Of course you are suggesting such a thing. But why would you? This is just a random human from the outside. Nobody of importance."

"And I care not if he is a passerby. I will heal. At least give him the chance. If it fails, he will die anyways." Smiling at the doctor, Kaguya reaches behind her to shut the door. "He will last in this state until I say otherwise, so there won't be any more damage. Just go and head and try."

"…As you say, Princess. Strap her down, Tewi." As the rabbit guided the girl over to another table, Eiren sighs and puts down the needle, instead picking up a bonesaw and a scalpel. "I'll just have to hope my theories are correct."

* * *

Dreams are a rather fickle thing. Lost in his own mind, the stranger sees nothing but a white rabbit leading him down a strange hole, into a forest full of bamboo. Crawling along on his hands and knees, he barely notices as it changes to walls of paper. Eventually, he comes out into an empty room that is much too small for one his size.

Glancing on the table in the otherwise empty room, he notices something on top of it. Some food. Instinctually, he reaches down and looks at the small bit of sustenance. Multi-colored bobbles arranged on a tree branch. All of which are labeled with one thing: Eat Me.

Nodding to himself, he plucks one of the bobbles off and pops it in his mouth. Before he can chew, he feels it melting inside of him. Flooding his entire being. A second later, he feels his body begin to chain… Changing into something unrecognizable.

A second later, he wakes up.

For a moment, he expected the walls of the room to be the same paper of the one he was dreaming about just moments ago. Instead, it is recognizably a hospital room. To his side, he can hear an EKG machine slowly beeping, while a thick curtain is pulled about him. The only odd thing about the room is that it is not the stark white of any hospital he has been in. Instead, the room is oddly warm and inviting, even calming. Just seeing it made him felt safe.

However, his foggy memories rise to the fore, causing him to begin to panic. There had been some monster that had attacked him. Something that tried to kill him. Glancing about, he couldn't help but to think for a few second that it was behind the curtains surrounding you, waiting to strike the moment they are pulled back. However, he forces the irrational fear away before trying to push his hair out of his eyes.

A second later, he pauses. He knows that he doesn't have hair long enough to get into his eyes. Placing his hands on the side of the bed, he tries to raise himself up to get a better look. While doing so, he places his hands on more strands of hair that cause his scalp pain the moment he tugs on them.

In too much shock to even speak, he tries to gather up the strands of hair to get a better look. As far as he can tell, they are everywhere. Long hair that could easily reach down to the small of his back, or even farther. He couldn't really tell from where he was now. As he tried to gather the hair, though, he realizes that his hands are trapped in the thick, long sleeves of his clothes.

His eyes flow from the hair, to his covered arms, then to the rest of his body. This was no hospital gown that he was wearing. Instead of some thin piece of plastic, he could feel heavy cloth weighing down on his body. Even though, the more he looked at it, the less it looked like his own.

Starting to shake, he raised a hand up and let the heavy sleeve fall away. His fears were confirmed as he stared at the foreign hand, one that was far too delicate and spindly to ever be his own. Reaching up with his hand, he felt his hair, his face, shaking even more and more as nothing matched up with what he had even an hour ago.

As he started to hyperventilate, the curtains shifted to the side, revealing the form of an elderly nurse. Automatically, he tried to scurry away from the intrusion, which earned him a frown from the nurse. "I'm not here to hurt you… I'm just checking up on you. There are a few things I need to confirm."

Silently, he watched her as she walked closer, putting her chart down as she lowers the rail on her side of the bed. "Just a quick examination… Will you let me perform it?" It takes a few minutes, but he slowly nods, causing her to smile. "Good. Now, this might be a bit cold…"

From between her breasts, she produces a rather oddly shaped stethoscope. Taking a moment to put her ear pieces in, she pulls up your odd top before placing it on the side of his stomach. "Hrm…" Before her eyes, a few images appear from nowhere, which she begins to examine as she continues to listen.

Laying there on his stomach, he just watches her as she continues her work. The cold was even sharper than he had expected, a steel ice cube placed on his body. Wondering what in the world had happened to him, he stayed his tongue, not wishing to confirm anything else. At least not yet.

"Seems that the operation was a success. Hourai corruption of the liver is nonexistent." Removing the stethoscope from his stomach, she pulls the shirt down for him automatically before moving up the bed. "Be still, please. There is one more thing that needs to be checked before we can move on." The nurse places one hand on his cheek, tilting his head up to look at her. "…Do not be afraid. You are alive. Be glad for that much."

Eventually, he nods as she places the stethoscope on his head. As the images appear in front of her face, she hums softly as various numbers and runes appear and disappear, each one flashing and twisting upon itself. "The same is true up here. You are a very lucky man, I'll have you know."

At his curious look, she begins to explain. "You would have died, had we gone this far. Your body was a ruin. It is only thanks to the power of the princess that you remained alive. However, for me to operate on the body and fix it, we would have had to let that end…" Smiling a bit, she backs away. "But we'll get to that later. Now, there is someone who must speak with you first."

Much more smoothly than you expected, the woman backs away and vanishes behind the curtains. It takes but a moment for the next person to intrude upon him, but he cannot say a word as he falls further into shock.

The girl that stands there smiles at his reaction before brushing her hair to the side and sitting down on the side of his bed. "I'll admit that I never expected to see something like this. It is somewhat odd." As she spoke, she glances away, bring her hands together. Taking a closer look, he notices that it is the same outfit that has been forced upon him. "At least now I can see why some might react to me."

Still, there is nothing that has been asked of him, and he is too overwhelmed to bother speaking. The smile grows a tiny bit wider as she leans down, looking at him a bit more closely. "Are you mute? You are rather quiet for someone in your condition."

Gulping, he glances away, before finally opening his mouth. "It's… It's not that." He winces at the sound of his own voice, so small and timid. The exact same as hers, but with none of her confidence to back it up. "Just… Didn't want to confirm that I had…"

Nodding to herself, the girl sits back up straight. "I don't doubt it. This is not the way you would have imagined waking up… Just be glad you are alive." Exposing one of her hands, she lays it upon his, still covered with the heavy fabric. "And that it was a success. Welcome back to the world of the living."

"Still, what… What happened to me?" Tilting his head to the side, he looks down at his body, growing acutely aware of small lumps that shouldn't be on him. "What was chasing me? And how did you do this…"

"So unaware, you are. A babe lost in a land of wolves." Sadly smiling at him, she looks away, studying the curtain for the moment. "You fell in a strange world, not knowing where you were. The moment that you took a step, something came after you. Something dangerous, and something hungry. You could do nothing more, so you ran. Ran as far and as quick as you could. And when you could run no more… It attacked you. For no reason other than you were there."

At his nod, she glances back at him. "Another outsider… Many aren't as lucky as you. Many are killed before they get the chance to find safety." Squeezing his hand, she stands back up and walks around. "But you are under my protection. Until we can return you to your body and to your world, you will be under my protection."

Looking up at the beautiful girl, he slowly nods. "Alright… But you still haven't answered…"

"Answers will take time, but you will get them. But for now…" Reaching down, she places a hand on the small of his back and raises him up until he is sitting up fully. "Names will suffice. I am Kaguya Houraisan. And that body that you are wearing is my own."

* * *

A/N Just an idea I had last night that I decided to toss up. Basically, the premise is based around what the Hourai Elixer is, and how it works. Considering that eating the liver of the immortal is rumored to give one immortality, I am supposing that the liver itself, as one of the primary organs to rid the body of poisons, is actually amped up so far as to remove the poison that is death from the being of one who drank the elixir. But if you transplant the liver inside of one who is Hourai, that may prevent the original from regenerating.

It's a thought. Just thought I'd have some fun. Just imagine later on down the line when Mokou notices there are two Kaguya's. Cue rage.

Oh, and I do have a poll up. If you could spare the time to vote, I'd appreciate it, as I am curious as to what most would like me to work on.


	12. Chapter 165 of MotLLU

Chapter 16.5 of MotLLU

Summary: What would essentially be chapter 16.5 of Sonanoka21093's story _Memoir of the Little Lost Umbrella_. The two of us were talking about her story, and I decided to write out an idea that she ended up using. Quite different from the usual fare.

Chapter Rating: M

* * *

The blonde smiled at the man who was offering her the package. "You are too kind, you know that? It was no trouble for me to help your family, my friend."

The man smiles back at her, something hidden back in those eyes. "And it is no trouble for me, either. We have plenty of gold, so supplying something like this to you. But I feel that I must offer you some sort of thanks."

The karakasa still can't help but smile as she takes the package and pulls it against her chest. "It was no trouble. That… problem is no bother for one of my talents." Still, she looks down at the package and carefully unwrap it. Upon spotting the fabric inside, she gasps and looks up. "You shouldn't have…"

Gently, she caresses the fine silk of the kimono, slowly withdrawing it from its home. "This… I recognize this. Tyrian purple. How did you get ahold of this, all the way from Phonecia…?"

"Only the most royal of colors would do for you, Hitomi." Smiling gently, he stares at her for a second before glancing away. I don't suppose that you've considered my request..."

"I am sorry, Tadanaga. My response is the same as before." A somewhat guilty expression flitters across her face before she recovers. "Even if I weren't a youkai… I do not believe I could accede to that. Even now."

"I see…" The man sighed, slowly nodding. "I didn't expect you to say yes. But I still had to ask, even if it was just a fleeting chance."

Giving him a small smile, the umbrella begins to stand up. "I would not have expected anything else from you. In fact, I would have been somewhat disappointed if you hadn't." Grinning a bit, she lets the kimono fall out to its full length. "My, this is so lovely. This detail is something I had not expected..."

"Would you expect anything else from me?" He can't help but to grin as he stands up. "As son of the shogun, I can't be seen with a substandard gift. Even if I am not the heir, it would be seen as the shogunate disrespecting you."

"You've never disrespected me, my friend." Smiling at him, she begins to slowly walk to the door. "I hope you don't mind if I try this on, now. I'm afraid I cannot resist such a lovely fabric."

The man smiles at her, but bows his head in revereance. "Who am I to prevent a beautiful woman from donning such a beautiful kimono? Take all the time you need."

"Thank you, friend." Sliding behind the paper door, Kogasa smiles at him before closing it behind her. Approaching a nearby screen, she extends it fully to both protect her dignity, and more importantly, to not give her friend any ideas. "Not that I would mind… But he is a friend. I don't want to end up hurting him…"

Slipping off her rather plain dress, she looks at the mirror provided by one of her gaps. "I never thought that I'd grow like this…" The past few thousand years had been too kind for her. Where once a little girl had stood was now a full-fledged woman, from the shapely hips to the not so insignificant swell of her bust. "It's almost amusing how most are so small nowadays..."

Ending her self examination, she quickly takes the kimono in hand. The deep purple is interlaced with the tiniest of stichings. There is no drawing on it, not truly. Instead, a hundred different patterns combine to form a mismatched beauty that most would have found appaling. "He knows me too well, I think."

Slowly sliding it on, Kogasa can't help but to sigh at the luxurious feeling upon her skin. The cool fabric is tight about her, but not too tight. Instead, it is a perfect fit, shaping over her body that is hardly normal for this time period.

"He was right. It is a beautiful kimono… Such a beautiful purple." Lightly tracing the fabric, she smiles before looking up at her reflection. Something is eerily familiar about it, but she instead admires herself. "…I'm almost afraid to show myself off to him. I might make his infatuation worse…"

Before she can help herself, an idea comes to mind. With but a slight twitch, she closes her eyes and adjusts the boundary. "It is a beautiful purple… I wish to honor him by incorporating a little…" The moment her eyes had recovered, she opened them up and stared at her reflection

There, staring back, was the image of her old teacher. One she hadn't seen in over ten thousand years.

* * *

As she continues to stare at the reflection, she hears Tadanaga standing at the door. "Hitomi? Are you alright in there? You haven't made a sound in a long while...

Shaking herself out of the reverie, Kogasa turns to the door. "Yes, I am, Tadanaga. Just making sure I haven't accidentally wrinkled anything." Snapping her fingers, she lets the dress fall through a gap while she tries to compose herself, forcing a smile on her face. "I'll be out in a minute."

The smile becomes a bit more honest as she loosens the kimono, letting the folds fall open to show a bit of her breasts. A move that had been used countless times to distract the nobles and peasants alike, but it wasn't with malevolent desire that sometimes was behind it. This was a bit more honest, if not mischievous also.

Walking up to the door, pulls it open and reveals herself to the man. "So, what do you think, Tadanaga?"

The man gulps slightly, staring at the obvious curves and the slight swell of exposed flesh. "It agrees with you well, Hitomi. That color is really beautiful on you."

"And without the color? Am I still beautiful?"

Sensing trouble, the man looks up and into Kogasa's eyes. "Of course you are… You make it beautiful. Not the other way around." Slowly, he realizes something. "Did you… change the color of your eyes to match?"

"It was on a bit of a whim… But yes, I did." Blushing noticeably, Kogasa coyly looks away from him. "It is such a lovely color… I'm afraid I might have to keep it. I'm not that attached to the color of my eyes otherwise. But one day, when both you and this dress are dust… My eyes shall remain."

The man colors heavily, but gives Kogasa a curious look. "Sometimes I have to wonder about you, Hitomi. You say no… But then you tease me so. It's enough to drive me crazy."

Grinning somewhat impishly up at him, Kogasa winks. "Well, I do have to keep you on your toes, you know. Otherwise, where would the surprise be in any of my answers?"

"Oh, we can't have that now, can we?" Laughing to himself, he glances over Kogasa, but manages to keep any looks brief. "But still, you look beautiful, Hitomi. You always have, even when I first met you."

"How could I forget? It isn't every day a seven year old declares that he is going to marry me." Laughing merrily, Kogasa continues to smile. "But… Eleven years, and you are no longer a boy. You've become a man now. Having to deal with all of the other intricacies of the daimyos…"

The smile on his face grows large, and he can't help but to look at her proudly. "Coming from you, that is a lot, Hitomi. …But I couldn't have done it all without you."

"You would have done some of it. Just not all." Pausing, Kogasa slowly nods. "You know I could never be your wife. I have duties. Duties more important than your own. While you worry about your daimyos, I have to worry about Nippon, and by extension, the world."

"I know that you do, Hitomi." stepping closer, he actually takes one of Kogasa's hands and squeezes it. "And I've told you before that I don't care."

Even though she felt he was being so shortsighted, Kogasa couldn't help but to smile back at him. "I couldn't do so many things. I can't cook or care for you regularly. I can't ensure that your children are raised and taught well. I cannot give you children at all. No one would let a youkai become the shogun."

The man laughs softly. "I don't care, Hitomi. I don't want you as some wife… I admire so much of you. Making you into what is expected of my wife would ruin what it is I admire about you. Your indomitable spirit, your humor… They would hate you." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "…I would love you."

At the sheer devotion in his eyes, Kogasa finds herself starting to become lost. For just the briefest of seconds, she surprises herself when a flame bursts to life within her. "…Tadanaga, please. Close your eyes."

Immediately doing as such, he squeezes her hands again, letting the youkai know that he trusts her utterly. Stepping forward, Kogasa makes contact, pressing her sizable chest into his strong one. As tall as she is now, she actually has to look a bit down in order to watch him, but she doesn't care about that. As emotions war within her, she knows she has to make a decision. "…Tomorrow."

Without opening his eyes up, he asks, "Tomorrow?"

"You will have your answer." Suddenly grinning, she leans forward and pecks him on the cheek. "A western tradition for when dear friends say goodbye." Giggling a bit at the look of both frustration and amazement on his face, she falls through floor, landing back in her room.

She remains there for quite a while, giggling at his reaction and over the feelings bubbling up inside her.

* * *

Tadanaga stirs, hearing some movement in his room. "…Who is there?" His hand wraps about his dagger, prepared to strike at any ninja that might be coming to kill him in the night.

However, before he can move, a finger is place on his lips. "Shh… Calm Tadanaga. It is just I."

"Hitomi?" Immediately letting go of the knife, the second son of the Shogun looks up. "What are you doing here?"

"I said you would have an answer by tomorrow. It is tomorrow."

Even in the pure darkness, Tadanaga swore he saw the grin that Kogasa was shooting him now. "Really? You always were fond of being overly literal… I'll have to admit, this is a surprise."

"If you think that is a surprise, I hope you don't get shocked if I turn on the light." Still, Kogasa hesitates for a second, still unsure about what she is planning. "May I?"

"Of course." Without hesitation, Tadanaga began to prop himself up before being pushed down by Kogasa. "What is-" All speech immediately stops as the room lights up in a clear haze, revealing Kogasa standing here, completely in her full glory. "H.. Hito..."

"What, I thought you said it was I that made it beautiful?" Smirking, she leans down closer, pressing her naked breasts into his chest. "Then I need nothing to be beautiful, do I?"

"No… No you do not…" Lust and love shine in his eyes as something begins to tent up under the thin sheets. "But Hitomi, are you sure? You've never even thought about it before today."

"Yesterday, my dear. Yesterday." Laying a finger on his lips again, Kogasa leans closer. "But I don't take long to decide. But you proclaimed that you would love me." She wraps her arms about him before pressing her lips to his. "Show me how you would love me."

Tadanaga needed no further encouragement as he cast off the blanket and met her naked body with his. The young boy became a man as he met her flesh, her larger body becoming one with his as they joined together, human and youkai, on a night they both hoped would repeat for years to come.


End file.
